Hope and Despair
by WookieCookie
Summary: Zero loves Kaname, but Kaname loves Yuki, and Yuki loves Kaname. Yuki finds out that Zero loves her precious prince along the way, and a mysterious person decides to help Zero.But what happens when Shiki comes in? Kaname/Zero -there will be lemon.
1. September

**A/N PLEASE READ: Okay so, at first I had a plot, and I tried my very best to stick with that plot, but it ended up changing several times because _my_ feelings changed. At first I wrote this because my emotions were geared towards sadness, angst, and all that jazz. But as time went on I...well it changed! So The story might be all over the place and perhaps a little pointless in some areas. I figured I should grace you guys with a warning considering this is going to be a _long_ story. This is also a _pre-written story, _therefore, I will _not_ be changing _anything_ as of this moment. However, if you have _kind_****tips then I will accept them as graciously as I can. I will not accept flames.**

**Summary: To put it short and sweet, since my Author's note is seriously long- it's about Zero being in love with Kaname and how their relationship changes in the span of half a year.**

**A couple of other things you guys might want to take note of-**

**Yuki is not related to Kaname- she's just in love with him.**  
><strong>Several (or <em>all<em>) of the characters will probably be...out of character.**

**My rambling is finished! Sorry for keeping you- please enjoy reading if you choose to!**

**September**

Kaname always wondered what that moment it would be like. The moment when Zero finally fell and he could kill him with good excuse. The threat would finally be away from Yuki –and although the girl would be very remorseful, she would understand sooner or later that it had to be done. He always wondered what it would be like with Zero's blood on his hands, his dead body on the ground, blank lilac eyes staring back at him with no emotion –all of their fieriness gone. The pureblood always imagined how peaceful it would be without Zero's mouth going off on them, and somehow, that thought felt lonely. But he brushed it off and told himself that it would be better for them if he weren't there. Zero was a volcano, Kaname mused; he bottled everything up inside of him until it was too late, and then he exploded when the pressure became too much.

And Kaname wasn't just talking about his anger issues. Zero was volatile, yes, but Kaname felt that his vampire side was even more dangerous. It could hardly be kept in check with the pills, and Yuki had taken it upon herself to offer her _sacred _blood to him! That just made the pureblood's blood boil. He had confronted Zero on that matter obviously, making sure that he would never drink from Yuki again –how dare he put her life in danger? He offered his blood instead.

It took a few hours of persuasion and slight violence to make Zero succumb to his will. Kaname grit his teeth angrily at remembering that night. That was the first time his impatience had shown itself so quickly. Quickly, he calmed himself and resumed walking to Kaien's office –he hadn't even noticed he paused in his step.

The chilly autumn air brushed gently against his skin, lifting some of the leaves from the ground –making some of them brush over his shoes or his pants. He noted to have the gardeners sweep up the leaves. It made the grounds look very unkempt –also, it made them slippery. It would not do to have one of the students get injured just because they didn't clean up the foliage.

As he neared Kaien's office, a scent of sweet smelling potpourri hit his senses. It wasn't too overbearing, and it smelt a bit like cinnamon, as well as roses. Kaname wondered if Yuki knew how to make them and if she was the one in possession of the potpourri. He decided to take a little detour; Kaien couldn't possibly mind if he was a little late.

But when he got there, it wasn't Yuki that he found. It was Zero sitting on a bench with a cardboard box filled with potpourri ingredients –finished potpourri bags were laid out in front of him in rows. Kaname raised an eyebrow at the scene; he did not know that Zero had the ability to do something artistic like this. He wondered if Zero knew how to paint but quickly dismissed the thought. Anyone could make potpourri as long as they followed directions –drawing was a whole different story.

He growled lowly to himself when Zero suddenly started to complain about Yuki.

"How dare she leave me to do all of this myself?" Zero grumbled. "She told me that she would help me with a half of them! Not a quarter of them. What a lazy bum…"

So Yuki was here after all. Of course she was; there was no way that Zero would have done this on his own will. He turned away to head back on his course to Kaien's office. It was just Zero, nothing interesting. Kaname turned a heel, walking away.

**xox**

Zero knew that Kaname was standing there watching him. He was too worn out to argue right now though, so he did his best to continue working and ignored the pureblood. He grumbled about Yuki to himself, hoping that maybe it would make the vampire go away. He was getting tired of all of _this. _Kaname berating him, reminding him that he was a disgusting monster –just like them. Yuki also reminded him that he was a vampire, though it wasn't intentional; she just wanted to help him in some way. But he couldn't help but feel the way he did.

He brought a potpourri bag up to his nose and took a deep breath, letting the scent wash over him. His back was turned to Kaname, but he knew that the pureblood was walking away.

"Damn my life." Zero cursed silently and continued to work on the bags. They were for a stupid party that Kaien wanted to throw –and the crazy man told him that he wouldn't make him attend if he did this. Zero wondered how much of that promise was true. Then again, Kaien wasn't _that_ stupid. He probably noticed that something was off about Zero and would let him off _this_ time.

He tied the bows onto the bags and put them all back into the box. The silver haired male wiped his hands on his pants, stood up, and dusted his uniform off. . Zero then bent down and carried the box on his side, heading in the opposite direction of Kaname.

He thought of Kaname often, but the reason why he was irritated at the pureblood all the time wasn't because he –Zero- fancied Yuki. That was just gross. How could he love that girl? He thought of her more as family and saw Kaname as a threatening figure –just like how the Kuran saw him. That's why he felt he had to protect Yuki from the threat. The reason why he was always irritated at the pureblood was because he was, dare he say it, slightly _attracted_ to him. It was amazing that he had managed to hide it for so long. The hunter had always tried to keep his distance from the vampire for fear that he would do something _stupid _and "out of character."

Zero punched himself mentally over and over again. He hated himself for being attracted to the pureblood. He didn't even believe in his feelings at first, berating himself for even thinking about Kaname that way. Kuran Kaname was a _monster_ and he was a _hunter._Kaname was the bad guy and he was the good guy –with bad boy attributes. But when Kaname told him that _he_ was _also_ one of the, "blood-sucking monsters" he felt a strange pain in his heart. And when Kaname called Yuki affectionately, he couldn't help the large amount of _envy _that traveled up his spine. He had once called Yuki a "bitch" in his mind when he saw them together. Zero thought that he was officially going crazy.

He even thought of enrolling himself into an asylum when he started to have…_dreams_ of Kaname. It wasn't the kind of dream where they were fighting, killing each other, or about the pureblood proposing to Yuki. No, it was the kind of dream where he was _moaning_ underneath Kaname –_and _it wasn't the painful kind of moan, no, they were moans of ridiculous _pleasure._Every other day he'd have new messed up pants that he'd have to throw into the wash –even the sheets had to be washed!

Zero's face reddened in embarrassment and he shook his head, hoping that the color of his face was normal as he approached Yuki and her friend, Sayori.

"Oh Zero!" Yuki said happily. "You finished already? You're fast!"

"_You_ were supposed to help me so we could get it done _faster_." Zero growled.

"Whoops? Was I?" Yuki rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and laughed nervously, "I got…distracted after I went on my bathroom break."

Zero scoffed and put down the box harshly, causing both girls to yelp, "Yeah, I noticed. Well, it can't be helped, I forgive you."

Yuki and Sayori's eyebrows went up in shock, "Really?"

"Yeah, it can't be helped after all. You have the memory span of a goldfish."

"ZERO!"

The silver haired hunter smirked and walked away before Yuki had a chance to get him in the gut. Not that she'd be able to anyways .

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	2. October

**A/N: This is the last time I'll be updating twice a week for this story. (Don't blame me, blame Wookie -runs away-). But I've decided that I'll update every _Wednesday_ so here I am (thought you guys would like to know)! Currently I am _rewriting_ Cuddly Cubs -because I've thought about it and yes, Kaname being able to transform into human form would make things a _whole _lot easier.**

**I don't think that I need to put warnings for every single chapter...but just beware that Zero curses a lot.**

**October**

Zero was a nervous wreck. He could barely even contain it. _He,_ of all the people the association could have picked, had to accompany Kaname on a mission. Not that there were many people to pick from, but why _him?_ Couldn't it have been Kaito or Toga? He groaned and sunk to the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. _This __has __to __be __my __worst,__ slash __best __day __ever._ Zero thought to himself.

He'd have to work with him, stay in the same hotel with him, and _talk _with him! Okay, so the talking would most likely be minimal, but hopefully he wouldn't have to share the same hotel room! That would be torture! No, embarrassment! What if he had one of those dreams? If Kaname's nose could pick up the scent of blood, he had to be able to pick up the smell of…semen.

Zero's face reddened and he hit his forehead against the wall, "Ow! Shit…"

Kaname would never look at him the same way again if he smelled semen coming from him in the morning. It was bad enough that he already thought badly of him; if he smelled _that_ coming from him, Kaname would never talk with him even if he were ordered to! He might never even want to _see _him again, and he'd probably think he was a disgusting pervert. That might be a good thing though; then he'd be able to get over his feelings and move onto someone else. But it would be painful too…watching Yuki get Kaname in the end anyways…they were both perfect for each other and he was…well he was nothing.

He supposed maybe he was thinking too much, and that he was overreacting, but he was going on a mission with the bastard pureblood! The stupid pureblood that he just had to be attracted to! It wasn't like this was the first time he went on a mission with the vampire; but this _was_ the first time he had gone with Kaname when he knew he had _feelings_ for him. His luck sucked so badly. He prayed to his mother, father, and brother in heaven that they would watch over him and help him get through the…how many days again? Zero quickly glanced at the information in the manila folder and grimaced. _Seven__ days? __Are__ they __fucking __kidding __me? __Oh __my __god,__ I __am __going __to__ die.__ I__ am __seriously __going __to-_

_**Knock **__**Knock**_

"What?"

"It's time to go Kiryu." Kaname's voice came –slightly muffled- from the other side of the door.

_Well__ speak __of__ the __devil. _Zero thought and sighed. He gathered his things from the bed, and stared longingly at the window. Now, if only vampires didn't have keen hearing, scent, and could travel at super fast speeds.

"Kiry-"

Zero opened the door at that moment, interrupting Kaname midsentence. "Kuran I heard you the first time."

He hissed at the pureblood, trying to be as convincing as possible. It would be terrible if Kaname caught him panicking about going with him on a mission. That would be terribly out of character. He gripped his pack tightly, hoping that Kaname wouldn't be able to notice his knees shaking and his palms sweating.

_God __he __looks__ so __damn __hot._Zero groaned internally. He really wasn't going to survive the week.

"If you heard me the first time," Kaname's low and silky voice drew the hunter's attention, "you would have answered faster."

"Well _maybe_ I wasn't ready and had to get my _things_." Zero snapped.

"You should have _been_ ready."

Zero scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Look, Kuran. You may be '_important__' _but you aren't _God. _I don't have to listen to you if I don't want didn't even tell me the _exact _time you were coming so how could I be ready?"

Kaname narrowed his eyes at the shorter male and started walking away, "Let's go."

Lilac eyes narrowed and pale lips mumbled a string of profanities –loud enough for the pureblood to hear. He fought the urge to stick his tongue out at Kaname, and wondered if the pureblood would notice even though his back was turned to him.

Zero caught Kaname glaring back at him and crossed his arms, "Do you have a _problem_?"

The brunette ignored Zero and continued walking –leading Zero to a sleek black limousine. _Stop __trying __to__ act __so__ cool._ The lilac-eyed male rolled his eyes and opened the door before the driver had a chance to. He nearly gaped at the interior. _Damn __purebloods __and __their __need __to __show __off__ their__ endless __amount __of __money._ Zero's eyes wandered over to Kaname's figure. He licked his lips nervously and forced himself to look anywhere other than the pureblood prince.

_Hah. __Prince__ –__more__ like__ '__God__'__._ Zero nearly blushed when he subconsciously added "sex" to "God". He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the image of Kaname's perfect body pounding him into a mattress, hoping that the brunette wouldn't notice.

Unfortunately, Kaname _did_ notice, he just didn't say anything about it and chose to ignore the silverette –just like every other time he noticed something 'off' about Zero. Sometimes Kaname would see Zero with a horse, and that was just about the only time that he saw the male look…_happy_. His guard was down, his eyes would soften, and he _looked _like the gentlest person during those moments with the horse. Kaname would wonder if he was hallucinating, but whenever he'd spot the male with the animal, it would always be the same. He had also seen Zero blush, laugh, and dance when he thought no one was looking.

Kaname had also discovered that Zero had the most _wonderful_ singing voice. He could fall asleep to it.

The pureblood mentally smacked himself for thinking such things. It was _Zero_ for crying out loud! They were _enemies_. He shouldn't be thinking about the enemy like that; he briefly glanced at the hunter when he heard the rustling of fabric. Zero was shifting uncomfortably in his seat and his leg was bouncing up and down nervously.

"Kiryu. Stop bouncing your leg up and down –it's distracting."

Zero immediately stopped and glared at the vampire, "You're not _doing_ anything; how am I _distracting_ you?"

"I was _thinking_." It wasn't a _complete _lie.

Zero scoffed and rolled his eyes, muttering a, 'Yeah, sure,' before resuming looking out the window. He had stopped bouncing his leg up and down –much to Kaname's relief.

The rest of the ride was spent in an uncomfortable, awkward, and tense silence. The hunter couldn't fathom how Kaname could look so relaxed…_normal_. '_It__'__s __probably__ because__ I__ secretly __love__ Kaname.__ That__'__s __why__ I__'__m __worried;__ Kaname__ doesn__'__t __love __me __so __**this**__ doesn__'__t__ feel__ awkward__ to __him. __Lucky.__' _Zero bit back a mournful sigh as he watched the houses slowly start to disappear from view. They were heading towards a rest stop to fill up on gas -and to rest for half an hour before heading off again. They had been traveling for around two hours and the gas was getting low –they had been in traffic for half an hour.

'_My __legs __are __falling __asleep,__'_ Zero let out a low groan. "Are we almost there?"

"Just a bit more Mr. Kiryu." The driver replied.

Kaname cocked an eyebrow at the silverette, "You're a bit more childish than I previously thought."

"Shut up," Zero growled. "My legs are asleep."

"Then stretch and cease your complaining." Kaname said, looking away from Zero, "This limo is large enough."

"I _hate_ you," _and__ I __love__ you__ at __the__ same__ time_. Zero added in the last part mentally.

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual."

Zero didn't answer to that and quickly got out of the limo as soon as they pulled up to the rest area. He stretched, groaning slightly when he heard several joints crack. He was so happy to be out in the open breathing fresh air. Zero turned to Kaname who looked as cool and collected as ever.

"I'm going to use the restroom." He informed the pureblood as he made his way towards the portable potties. Zero opened the first porta-potty he came by; his eyes widened when a Level E vampire jumped out of the small space to attack him. Quickly, he pulled out Bloody Rose and shot the vampire once in the shoulder, and once in the heart. The vampire immediately collapsed at his feet with a thud.

He swiveled to the right when he felt an unnatural wind and blocked the next Level E's roundhouse kick. Zero quickly changed his block to a grab and pulled the vampire towards him, shooting him in the forehead. Out of his peripheral vision he saw another vampire charge towards him and Zero spun around, delivering a spin kick to its chest, sending it flying into the bark of a tree.

Zero winced when he heard the vampire's back crack before shooting it accurately between the eyes. He relaxed when no other vampire came charging at him and put Bloody Rose back into its holster.

_Bad__ mistake._

He couldn't even react when the vampire gripped his neck from behind and pulled him backwards. Zero tried to reach for Bloody Rose, but the vampire had somehow paralyzed him, rendering him immobile. He clenched his jaw when he felt the vampire's breath on his neck and its fangs brushing against his sensitive skin.

'_Kaname__…' _Zero subconsciously thought as he clenched his eyes shut.

He waited for the bite to come, but it never did. His lilac eyes snapped open; he heard choked, pained screams coming from behind him. Zero, realizing that he could move again, turned to see a bloody Level E on the floor –_dead_. Foam and blood leaked from its mouth; its eyes were rolled into the back of its head so you could only see the whites of its eyes.

"I thought…" Kaname's voice came from behind him, "hunters were taught to always be on alert?"

Zero turned to face him and glared, "Shut up."

"You _assumed_ you were safe? That's very rare for you _Kiryu_."

"I said to shut up!" Zero snapped at his mocking tone of voice; "You didn't _have_ to help me."

"Ah but I did," Kaname clucked his tongue, "If I didn't, Yuki would have been sad."

Zero felt like his heart was being stabbed over and over. How many times had he heard Kaname utter those words? "Yuki would be sad." It was always about Yuki, Yuki, and Yuki. Was it wrong to want Kaname to help him for _him_ and not _Yuki_? He supposed it was, but then again, he _was_ human; humans had a knack for wanting things that were wrong.

Well, he could _pretend _if only to stop the pain in his chest.

"Kuran."

The pureblood glanced at the hunter, his eyes asking the silent question, 'Yes?'

"Thank…you…" But because his head was bowed down, he couldn't see Kaname's eyes widening slightly and his jaw going slack.

The Kuran immediately regained composure and resisted the urge to pat the hunter on the head, "You're welcome, Kiryu."

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	3. November

**November**

Zero massaged his temples and groaned. He had had a splitting headache for the whole day and it _just_ wasn't going away! He _did_ go to the infirmary for pills, but that wasn't working. He ate and drank water, but that didn't help. Zero had even slept for a few hours, but that made it _worse_.

So now he was off to take a nice hot shower –hoping that would help. Zero quickly stripped his uniform off and turned the temperature to hot. He patiently waited for the bath to get ready as he got his soaps, towel, and a washcloth. As he got the necessary items, he thought about Kaname's and his relationship. During the mission, they had gotten along pretty well. At least, they had gotten along as civilly as possible. They were able to joke around a few times throughout, but not much else improved in their strange "friendship" –conversations were still very minimal as well.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when the steaming hot water hit his bareback. Zero hissed and quickly turned the faucet to make the temperature cooler. He sighed once he was content with the temperature, and lathered his body with soap. He made sure to scrub his body thoroughly and rinsed before moving onto his hair. The lilac-eyed male always made sure to shower quickly, though today he would take his time and stay in the shower longer. Of course, he wouldn't stay in the shower as long as Yuki would; she took _forever _to bathe. He idly wondered how long Kaname took as he rinsed his hair off.

Zero put his hands on the tile wall to balance himself as he moved to sit on the floor before turning the shower off and switching it to a bath. He watched silently as the water began to rise, groaning silently when his head hit the tile wall with a soft thunk. His head swam and his headache came back, but it was ten times as bad.

"Urgh…"

His vision blurred and his throat tightened; he was overcome by immense dizziness. Zero started to lift himself up to turn off the water, but he blacked out before he was able. The last thing he heard was the sloshing of the bath water and a feminine voice from outside the door.

_Yuki__… _

**xox**

"Zero?" Yuki knocked on Zero's door impatiently. "Zero! I _know_ you don't like to eat meals with the headmaster but he has something important to say to us!" _I __think__…_

She wrapped her hands around the doorknob and tried opening it, but it was locked. Yuki even tried kicking it down, but with her strength it was futile. The door was too heavy. The brunette groaned and leaned her forehead against Zero's bedroom door. He was most likely out. Surely, Zero would have answered the door by now if he were inside. He would have gotten irritated with Yuki's insisted knocking; then, he would have opened the door and give her the semi-meanest glare he could muster.

Yuki put her ear to the door and heard the faint sound of water running. She smiled in relief, '_Maybe __Zero __can__'__t__ hear __me __over __the__ running__ water? __Well,__ I__'__ll__ just__ wait__ a __few __minutes__ then.__ Zero __doesn__'__t __normally__ take__ long__ showers.__' _

Five minutes later, Yuki was sitting on the floor with her back against Zero's bedroom door. She hummed quietly as she played with her brown locks and tapped her feet. Suddenly, she felt something wet touch her bottom.

Yuki leapt up and yelped in surprise, "Gya! What was that!"

She looked down and gasped. Water? Quickly she pounded on the door, "Zero! Zero please answer me! What's wrong? Why is water overflowing? ZERO!"

"Yuki?" Kaname's voice came from behind her; "What's wrong?"

"Oh! Kaname-senpai!" Yuki jogged over to the pureblood and looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please, I think Zero's in trouble. Can you open his door for me?"

Kaname immediately noticed the water on the floor and gave Yuki a small nod. He used his telekinetic powers to unlock the door; Yuki went rushing in once she heard the small 'click'. Kaname followed right after Yuki; the water splashed against their ankles as they jogged over to Zero's bathroom. The brunette girl quickly opened the bathroom door, her hands flew up to her mouth once she saw the scene.

Zero was lying over the bathtub in the overflowing water. His head was lying on his arm and his face was facing downwards. He was shivering and breathing unevenly.

"Zero!" Yuki ran over to the bathtub and turned off the water. She turned Zero's face up and slapped his cheeks, "Zero? Zero wake up!"

Kaname grabbed a white towel that was sitting on the counter and motioned for Yuki to pull the drain. He shed his uniform jacket and gently grabbed one of Zero's arms, pulling him up slightly. "Yuki, go get the headmaster and tell him to call a doctor."

"But Kaname-senpai-"

"I'll take care of him." Kaname promised; "Go now."

Yuki nodded and reluctantly ran out of the room to Kaien's office.

The pureblood wrapped the towel around Zero's waist and hooked one arm behind the hunter's back; he hooked his other arm under Zero's legs and carried him to his bed. Quickly, he stripped Zero of the towel and used it to dry him. He idly mused that Zero had a beautiful shade of skin. It wasn't baby quality, no, it was riddled with scars from battle, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

He had nicely developed muscles as well…

Kaname shook his head and kept on drying the hunter, burying those thoughts in the back of his mind, careful to not think about them ever again. He calmly went over to Zero's drawers, retrieving suitable sleeping clothes before making his way back to the unconscious male. He gently dressed Zero in the clothing and tucked him in.

"You cause a lot of trouble…" Kaname murmured as he studied Zero's face. It looked pained, his breathing was labored, and his face was flushed. '_A__ fever?__' _Kaname went into the bathroom to soak a washcloth in cold water; when he came back, Zero's eyes were open. They looked hazed over, however, and Kaname wondered if the male was really _aware_ of anything.

He gently dabbed the towel on Zero's face and neck, "Kiryu? Can you hear me?"

"K…n…me…" Zero muttered weakly under his breath.

Kaname was floored, for the lack of a better word. He had never thought that he'd ever see the day that Zero would call him by his first name. Then again, Zero was out of it; he probably called him by his first name by accident. He stayed in a shocked silence for a while before noticing that Zero's eyes were flashing red.

"It has been quite a while since you last fed from me." Kaname mused out loud, "But you did say that the new blood tablets were working fine. Have you been taking them? Or were you lying when you said they were working?"

No answer, but that was to be expected.

Kaname brought his mouth to his wrist and cut it with his sharp fangs; the smell of blood in the air made Zero growl. The pureblood put his wrist to Zero's mouth, urging him silently to drink. The ex-human almost immediately latched onto Kaname's wrist, drinking hungrily. Once he was done, Kaname took his wrist away, the cut immediately healing itself.

He moved to stand because he heard Yuki's steps coming from down the hall, but was stopped when Zero's fingers latched onto his sleeve. The Kuran looked at Zero questioningly.

"St..y…pl…se…" Zero murmured before he fell unconscious once more, his fingers dropping from Kaname's sleeve back onto the bed.

**xox**

Zero walked down the path with a quick step. It was cold and he wanted to get to his destination as soon as possible. He shakily adjusted his coat, wrapping it tightly around himself. He had just gotten over the flu, and Yuki decided that he was well enough to walk himself over to the Night class dorms.

What for?

Zero grimaced. He had to walk over to Kaname's room, thank him, and apologize for giving him _so_much trouble. The Night class was going to have a field day that's for sure. Zero wouldn't even be here if not for Yuki. What did she say again?

"_You __have __to__ go __and__ apologize __to__ Kaname-senpai!__ Don__'__t __even __argue __Zero! __He__ gave __you __his__ blood__ so __you__ could __have __a__ speedy__ recovery. __He __even __stayed__ with__ you __when __I__ was __too__ tired__ to__ look __after __you!__ You__'__ve__ caused __a __lot__ of__ trouble!__ Go__ and__ thank__ him __too __okay?__ I__'__ll__ know __if__ you __didn__'__t!__" _

How troublesome.

He walked up to the entrance of the vampire dorm and pushed the door open, ignoring Ruka's and Aido's angry yells. The silver haired male walked over to the blond smiling vampire that was sitting happily on a couch, "Hey, I need to see Kuran."

Takuma smiled and got up, "Yes of course, right this way." He skipped off, leading Zero through the hallways, "May I ask your reason for wanting to see him?"

"No." Zero replied flatly.

The vampire made a sound of sincere disappointment, "Well, that's too bad…" He immediately changed back to his happy-go-lucky attitude as soon as they reached Kaname's office. "Here we are! You can find the way back on your own right?"

Zero nodded.

"Great! Have a nice day!"

The hunter blinked and stared after Takuma before opening Kaname's doors, '_What__ a__ weird __vampire__…' _

"Kiryu."

Zero looked up to see the handsome brunette male sitting on his chair, hovering over paperwork. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" Kaname asked.

The silverette tsked, "I'm sure you could hear me coming _Kuran_. I didn't need to knock."

Kaname sighed, knowing it was futile to argue any further, "Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble while I was sick."

The pureblood vampire dropped his pen, "Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me," Zero growled; "I will not say it again."

"This is Yuki's doing." It was a statement, not a question.

"Well it certainly isn't _mine_."

Kaname rested his chin on his hands, "Is there something else that you wanted to say?" He asked when the male had not left.

Zero turned his back to Kaname, heading out the door, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," The Kuran replied calmly; the 'Thank you' was sincere after all. Of course, he was surprised that Zero had uttered those words –even if he _had _said 'Thank you' to him once before.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Ah well there isn't really much to say...did you like the small portion of fanservice I put in?**


	4. December

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Well, technically it's not Thanksgiving on this side of the world yet, but yeah-. I'm very thankful for all my readers and reviewers, and I hope I don't ruin your opinion of this story along the way! I'm glad everyone is enjoying it. As for this chapter, it probably wouldn't happen in the actual series because Kaname is so cool, strong, and invincible this would NEVER happen- but, I like situations like these- sue me. There's a reason why this is called _fanfiction _though, so please don't yell at me.**

**There's also a Christmas part in here and I know it's kind of early for that, but I didn't want this chapter to be too short.**

**December**

Kaname sat on a sturdy branch of a tall tree, watching as Zero fought with a group of Level E's. He had followed the hunter through the forests on impulse. He didn't know what exactly pushed him to follow the silverette, but he just had a feeling that he should. Kaname didn't know why he was staying and watching over the Kiryu; after all, these Level E's were no match for Zero –even if there were about a dozen of them.

He just had a feeling that if he _didn__'__t _stay, he might regret it later.

Zero had quickly knocked out several of the crazed Vampires, immediately shooting them in either the head, heart, or lungs. He was just about to do the same to the last vampire, but _this _one was much faster than the others. The hunter couldn't react in time when the Level E pushed him; his bullet only just grazed the side of the vampire's arm.

Kaname leapt forward when he saw the last of the vampires push Zero towards a hole in the ground. _This__ is__ only__ for __Yuki. _The pureblood told himself as he killed the Level E that pushed Zero over. In a split second after that, he was reaching out to grab Zero's hand.

It was only when it was too late that he realized that he missed the lilac-eyed male's fingers by a few millimeters, and that they were both falling down the hole. It felt like hours. He could see Zero's horrified face and every detail of his uniform. He could smell the lilac shampoo scent coming off of the hunter's body and the details of his irises.

Kaname finally caught Zero's arm when the male reacted and started reaching out as well. _Only __for__ Yuki. _He wrapped his strong arms around Zero's slender body and tried to grab the walls of the ditch, only to realize that there wasn't much of a grip. The hunter's gun, Bloody Rose, hit the wall, causing it to fire a bullet. It shot Kaname in the knee; he clenched his jaw, preventing any sound of pain from going past his lips. Kaname quickly reversed their positions so that he would hit the ground first instead of Zero.

"Guh!" He couldn't hold down his pained noise when his injured leg hit the ground first. Kaname could have sworn he heard the bones in his leg crack before he blacked out.

Zero quickly scrambled off of Kaname once they were on the floor. His heart was beating so loudly that he wondered if the pureblood vampire could hear it. Of course, it wasn't out of being hugged so close to Kaname's body –that would be ridiculous. No, it was beating loudly because of the adrenaline rush of falling at least two stories down.

He drew a shaky breath as he stripped his winter coat and wrapped it around Kaname. Zero quickly took the bullet out of the Kuran's leg, before tearing some fabric from his uniform and wrapping it around Kaname's knee to prevent blood loss. He took his scarf off and wrapped it around the brunette's neck, not caring if he didn't have any protection from the freezing winter anymore.

The silverette dug his hands into his pocket, hoping that his cell phone still worked. He flipped it open and although it was still in one piece, there was no signal. _Damn__it!_

Zero then backed up and charged forward, trying to get to the top. It only took a few seconds before he started falling back down again. _'__Crap!__' _Zero thought to himself, '_I __didn__'__t __even __make __it __halfway__ up!__' _

He shook his head and tried again, and again, and again. Zero bit his lips. He nearly reached the top that time! He looked back at Kaname. The pureblood was breathing heavily from the effects of his bullet, unconscious.

'_This __is __all__ my __fault__…'_Zero closed his eyes tightly and tried again. His feet thumped heavily against the ground as he ran with all his might towards the wall. He jumped when he was a few feet away and started running up; his hands that were scratched up reached for the top of the hole.

His mouth twitched into a relieved smile when his hand caught the surface, only to fall back into a frown when the piece of rock broke off, and he started falling back down again. _'__Damn__it!__' _

Zero started crying tears of frustration. He slumped next to Kaname and leaned his head against the pureblood's shoulder. Those Night Class students _had _to be looking for them by now. Maybe they caught the smell of Kaname's blood?

"SOMEBODY!" Zero screamed from the top of his lungs, "HELP US!"

Kaname was awoken by the hunter's tears and screaming. He could tell that Zero had been yelling for quite some time now. His voice was raspy and on the verge of disappearing. He watched as Zero opened his mouth once more, but no sound came out of it.

"Kiryu."

Zero's neck turned toward him so fast that it caused his neck to crack. The silverette winced before going over to the vampire. "_What?_" He mouthed, hoping that Kaname could read lips.

Kaname looked Zero up and down. He could tell by the looks of it that Zero had recklessly tried to scale the wall. He noticed that by the hunter's limp that he had probably sprained his ankle as well. "The others will come looking for us. Rest now." He assured the male. _For __Yuki._

Kaname started shrugging off Zero's jacket when said male stopped him, "_I __don__'__t__ need__ it.__" _He mouthed.

The pureblood cocked an eyebrow, "You're shivering."

"_You__ need__ it__ more __than__ I __do.__" _Zero insisted, not caring if the vampire thought him out of character.

"I already have a coat on me," Kaname said sternly, "Take it."

Zero shook his head adamantly.

"I'll keep the scarf but please take your coat back." The brunette compromised; "Yuki would be upset if she found you dead because you froze to death."

The hunter reluctantly took his coat back and wrapped it around himself. He sat himself right up against Kaname's side and when the vampire made no protests about how close they were; he asked with a croaky voice, "Do you really think that they'll find us in time?"

"Of course. I can hear Aido's loud mouth now."

Zero chuckled at Kaname's attempted humor. "How about the headmaster's?"

"He's the loudest." Kaname informed him, and smirked, even though he was surprised that Zero laughed.

"Are they really close?" Zero asked, worried that the snow was beginning to fall and that the sky was darkening. He hoped that they wouldn't turn around.

Kaname glanced at Zero before looking up at the sky, "Yes. They can smell my blood; I doubt they'll turn around." He informed Zero as if he read his mind before coughing.

Zero immediately sat straight up, looking at him with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine."

But before Zero could say anything a voice interrupted him, "Kaname-sama!"

_Aido._They both sighed in relief when they saw him and grabbed the rope that he threw over.

**xox**

Zero awoke the next day in the infirmary. He heard Yuki's voice and Kaname's voice, though he wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. He gripped the sheets tightly, his chest pained when he heard Kaname's gentle soothing voice directed at Yuki. _I __want __him__ to__ speak __with__ me__ that __way__…_

The door shut a few moments later; Zero assumed that they had _both_ left, so when he heard Kaname's voice from beside him, he nearly jumped six feet in the air. "You frickin' scared me Kuran!" He shouted angrily, ignoring his sore throat. "You shouldn't be on your feet."

"The bullet wound has already healed." Kaname informed him. Zero supposed that meant that the poisoning caused by the bullet was also gone.

They sat in silence, staring at each other before Zero turned his head towards the window, "Sorry."

Sorry? Sorry for what? Sorry for falling into a hole and dragging Kaname down with him? Sorry for letting his gun hit the wall and shooting him in the knee? Sorry for yelling at him? Or was it sorry for causing him trouble all the time?

"You don't need to apologize." The pureblood said simply.

Zero roughly tugged Kaname onto the bed and buried his face in his chest; "Let me stay like this for a while."

Kaname stayed silent, watching as the gentle snowflakes fell from the heavens onto the windowpanes, ignoring the fast pace of his beating heart.

**Christmas**

Kaname leaned against a wall and looked down at the small, wrapped box in his hands. He twirled it around a few times before putting it in his pocket and walked towards the Day Class dorm rooms. Surprisingly, the gift wasn't for Yuki. He had given her a gift already. _This_ gift was for Zero.

He had asked Yuki if Zero would want anything for Christmas. The girl had been quite surprised to be asked that by Kaname, but then again, the pureblood was kind. Perhaps he wanted to be friends with Zero? So, she told him what she got Zero for Christmas and several things that the male liked. Zero didn't want anything in particular –not that she knew of anyways. The male wasn't one to ask for things and his mouth was tightly closed when it came to that subject.

Well, if Zero didn't want this present, he could give it to someone else.

Kaname stood in front of Zero's door, not moving. He honestly couldn't say that he was doing this for Yuki. If it was because of that, he would have had to give Zero presents every year. He didn't understand why he wanted to. Kaname Kuran understood _everything_. This made him irritated that he couldn't understand…whatever _this _was.

He moved his hand to knock on the door, but before he was able, Zero had already opened it. Kaname watched as Zero's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he regained composure.

"What are _you _doing here?" Zero asked with a scowl.

"Your blood tablets _should _be running low by now." Kaname eyed the bottle on Zero's desk; "You haven't been taking them."

"They don't _work_." Zero reluctantly told the truth; "What's the point of taking them if they're not satisfying the thirst?"

"Are you craving blood now?"

Zero blinked a few times, "No."

Kaname gave Zero a look that told the hunter if he didn't come to him when he was thirsty, there would be consequences. Zero nodded; "Anything else you wanted?"

The Kiryu watched as Kaname put his hand in his pocket and took something out; "What's that?" He asked suspiciously.

The pureblood extended out his hand and gave him the small box, "Merry Christmas."

Zero stared at the brightly wrapped box, not making a move to take it, "Did Yuki ask you to do this?"

"No," Kaname replied, and sighed when Zero gave him a disbelieving look; "If you don't want it then I can give it to someone else."

"Wait here." Zero told him before he ran back into his room, leaving Kaname and the small box at the doorway. He came back with a bag of potpourri in his hands. "It's an extra. I made too many." _That __was __a__ lie. _Zero had always wanted to give the vampire something, but he had no idea what. He figured that since Kaname had a good nose, he might appreciate the smell of potpourri.

"Thank you." Kaname said as he took the bag.

Zero took the small box from Kaname, "You too." He twirled the box in his hands, "It's not something that'll kill me is it?"

Kaname gave Zero a flat look; "No. Open it. It _is_ Christmas day."

"I'm not going to open it with you here. Don't you have a party to go to or something?" The hunter asked, obviously trying to get the pureblood to go away.

The tall brunette's jaw clenched at Zero''s attempt to make him go. He was beginning to regret giving that present to Zero, but why he was so angry he didn't know. He should have realized that Zero would be like this, so he should have cared less; "Yes, I do actually. Have a nice Christmas Zero." He said calmly as he walked away, trying to soothe his unexplainable anger.

"Whatever," Zero muttered, watching sadly as Kaname walked away. It wasn't like he had anything to do with the pureblood anyways. He shook his head and gently unwrapped the box, careful to not make any rips in the wrapping paper. He opened the box and his mouth became slack.

He seriously thought that it would be a note saying, "Hah. You didn't actually think I'd give something to you did you?"

But this was…

"Beautiful," Zero breathed and gently pulled the object out of the box. It was a small glass rose –the same exact color as Zero's eyes. He put it to the light and smiled slightly as the rose seemingly glowed. Well, he didn't have any use for it, but it was still a great present to look at.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	5. New Years Eve

**A/N: From here on out Yuki is going to be a bit annoying...At first, I wasn't going to make her annoying and I tried not to, but I suppose I thought it would be good for the plot...Please try to refrain from killing her though. This chapter is a bit short but connecting New Years and Valentines day seems a bit odd.**

**New Years ****Eve**

"ZERO!"

The silverette rolled his lilac colored eyes and closed his book before looking up, "Stop being so loud. I would be able to hear you from a mile away."

Yuki puffed out her cheeks and put her hands in a prayer position, "Please help me Zero! It's an emergency! I'll do whatever you want after this!"

"No thanks." Zero refused in a bored tone and went back to reading.

"Please! I'll beg you all day until you do it!"

Zero groaned inwardly. So Yuki was giving him two choices: do the work and possibly get something for it- but it wasn't likely, or not do it and risk hearing her whine for eternity. "I'll do it."

"YES!" Yuki cheered.

"But whatever you give me _better_ be good, otherwise you'll never see the light of day _ever _again."

"Y-yes…" Yuki sweatdropped, "I'll get you something really nice okay?"

"So?" Zero asked impatiently, tapping his foot, "What's the emergency?"

"I need to cook for the family dinner tonight…the New Years Eve dinner."

"And?" Zero cocked his eyebrow.

Yuki cried, "Zero you know how bad my cooking skills are! And Kaname-senpai is going to be there!"

At the pureblood's name, Zero's heart skipped a beat. Kaname would be there too? He remained silent, and stared at the ground, wondering if the vampire would like his cooking. The brunette probably ate a _lot _of fancily cooked meals. His wouldn't be that special.

"Please Zero?" Yuki asked, taking his silence as refusal, "I know you don't like Kaname-senpai, but I don't want to make him sick with my cooking!"

_You__ have__ no__ idea__ how __wrong__ you __are __Yuki__…__absolutely __no __idea._"Fine I'll cook. But are you sure he's coming? He probably has some important party to go to or something."

Yuki nodded excitedly, "Yes! He _promised_ me that he'd be there! Kaname-senpai always keeps his promises. He _does_ have a party tomorrow though."

"I see…"

"So you _will _cook right?" Yuki asked, just to make sure.

"I said so didn't I?"

Yuki hugged Zero tightly, praising his name, "Oh and I have one small request."

Zero sighed and crossed his arms, "What is it?"

"Can you please tell Kaname that _I _cooked it? I want to impress him."

The hunter felt a strong surge of anger and possessiveness run through him. In the back of his mind he wanted to slap Yuki for even _asking_ that. It would be _his_ cooking and so _he_ should be the one Kaname was impressed with, not _her_.

But Zero bit his tongue and nodded silently. Kaname would never be interested in him anyways.

"Thanks a bunch Zero!"

"Never mind," Zero muttered under his breath, "When is he supposed to arrive?"

"Um…in two hours?"

"_What_?" Zero glared, "And you just told me _now_?"

"Sorry!" Yuki squeaked.

**xox**

The silverette had managed to make a chicken dish, rice, mashed potatoes, Chinese noodles with vegetables, and dessert in a little over two hours –with Cross' help. Yuki didn't want to touch any of the cooking utensils, so she just watched and cheered the two males on.

Zero was quite satisfied with his work; Kaien and Yuki were practically drooling over the food.

But…

Kaname still wasn't here.

"Are you sure he said he was coming today?" Zero asked.

Yuki pouted, "I'm sure! Maybe he's busy with work or something! He'll come!"

Zero and Kaien both sighed, and went back to waiting. 5 minutes -300 seconds, Zero counted- passed and then 20 minutes passed them by, but still no sign of Kaname. The two males had already eaten their share by the time one hour passed, thinking that the brunette probably wouldn't show up. Yuki however, remained confident that the pureblood would definitely come.

"Yuki, the food is cold already." Kaien pleaded with her, "Please eat!"

"No!" Yuki shouted, "It's rude to eat when not everyone is at the table."

Zero sighed, and went out of the room, mumbling something about going to sleep. Yuki understood; she didn't need to keep Zero there anyways. He already ate after all, and it was probably boring waiting for someone you _hate_. Therefore, no one protested on him leaving.

The silverette however, lied about going to sleep. He was going to find Kaname. Zero wouldn't take Kaname hurting his 'sister'. But Zero was also worried about the brunette since he never broke a promise. He knew he shouldn't be worried; Kaname could probably kill anyone without lifting a finger. Zero wished he didn't worry. He wished that he didn't love Kaname. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have pains in his chest when he saw Yuki with Kaname. He wouldn't have panic attacks when the brunette wasn't around! He wouldn't be so alone.

Why couldn't he have fallen in love with a _human_ girl like a normal person?

Life must have hated him, but Zero hardly cared; the feeling was mutual.

He was about to open the Night Class' door to the dorms when it opened. It was Kaname, and he looked _amazing _in his tux, albeit exhausted.

"Kiryu," Kaname tilted his head in greeting, "Did you need something?"

"Yeah," Zero glared slightly, hitting himself mentally for ogling Kaname's figure, "You're late. Yuki's worried and 'they're all' bitching. It's annoying me."

"Well I'm sorry for that," Kaname said monotonously, though Zero swore he heard an irritated tone in his voice. "There were complications."

The lilac-eyed teen said nothing, and walked away, back towards his dorm room. He wondered if that was why the brunette looked so exhausted and irritated. Kaname followed behind him for a little while, before turning towards the room where Yuki, and Kaien were.

"Wait." Zero whispered, but he knew Kaname heard. He stayed silent as the brunette turned towards him, giving all his attention to the silverette.

"Yes?"

"Yuki will probably tell you that the dinner was made by her," _I__ shouldn__'__t __be__ saying __this_, "But it wasn't," _Damn__it__ Zero,__ stop__ your__ mouth_, "I'm sure you'll be able to hear the lie, so just so you won't get all suspicious and freak out or anything…" _Stop __telling __him! _"The dinner was made by me. Don't make it obvious that you know that and just go along with what Yuki says."

Zero then turned and ran to his dorm room, not wanting to hear Kaname's reply. He didn't want the pureblood to see his red face either. It wasn't as if it was a love confession; why was he acting this way?

Zero leaned back against his door and let out a heavy sigh.

The clock struck twelve and the bright fireworks lit the skies, booming loudly, but Zero never noticed.

He was too busy staring at the glass rose Kaname got him for Christmas.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	6. Valentines Day Vacation

**A/N: Alright- they're going on _vacation_! To Hawaii. I think it was a bad, last minute choice on my part when I was writing this, considering Kaname is a vampire- but if you guys could pretend there's overcast in most parts of the story- that would be great...Of course, it's not like...I totally ignore the fact that he's a vampire and have him walk around at twelve noon...but he does take on human hours here...so just a warning because some of these things might be off... One of the only reasons I chose Hawaii is because I don't need to do any research to write about it -laughs-. Anyways, on with the show.**

**Valentines Day**

Valentines Day –it was by far _the_ worst day of the year, Kaname thought to himself. The whole day was filled with girls giving chocolates to boys that they liked. Obviously, Kaname and the rest of the Night Class got hundreds of these vile sweets. Aido ate all of the sweets he got that day, and Shiki ate all of the pocky they received, but they would still have a mountain of chocolate by the end of the day.

It was a nightmare trying to figure out what to do with it.

Thank _god _Kaname didn't have to deal with it this year. He was currently on a plane, sitting in between Zero and Yuki; Kaien sat on the other side of Yuki. Where were they headed in early February? Let me give you a hint: Beaches, warm weather, and the Pacific Ocean.

Yep, that's right, they were on a course towards Hawaii.

"I can't wait!" Yuki squealed silently so she wouldn't disturb the other passengers.

Kaname smiled, though it slowly twitched into a frown when Zero scoffed and said, "Yuki, you've said that about five trillion times now."

The girl pouted and Kaname almost immediately defended her, "Kiryu, she's just excited. She hasn't been to Hawaii before."

"That's right!" Yuki piped in.

"It's my first time too and I'm not making a big deal out of it." Zero said flatly as he reached for his earphones and music player.

Yuki stuck her tongue out and teased, "That's because you're a spoil sport and a grumpy old troll."

Zero wisely ignored the comment and stayed silent for the rest of the ride, occasionally listening to Kaname's and Yuki's conversation about what they wanted to do when they got to the island. They spoke of several other miscellaneous things before Yuki yawned and the pureblood told her to sleep –which she did. Kaien fell asleep a few minutes after Yuki did, so now it was just Kaname and Zero awake.

Obviously, they didn't converse much.

The brunette noticed that Zero often glanced at what he was reading –he brought along a light novel to read for his entertainment- but he said nothing of it; Kaname knew the silverette was probably bored. He only looked over at Zero when he felt a weight on his shoulder.

The hunter was sleeping and he was using Kaname's shoulder as a pillow.

The pureblood stared at Zero for a few moments before going back to reading. He didn't want to disturb the male's sleep. Why? He didn't exactly know. Perhaps it was because Zero would probably curse loudly and disturb everyone, or perhaps it was because he looked so cute and peaceful when he was sleeping…

No! Absolutely not! Zero Kiryu was _not _cute! Kaname was absolutely appalled with himself. But the way Zero's face completely relaxed and the way his hair fell over his eyes made him want to brush it out of his face. He wondered how silky Zero's hair was; not to mention the way his lips were parted-

Kaname sighed and closed his book, rubbing his temples. He was definitely tired. The brunette glanced at his watch, deciding that it was indeed time for him to sleep. It was one o'clock in the morning. The Kuran closed his eyes; his breathing evened out in just a matter of minutes.

**xox**

Kaname awoke the next morning, his head resting on Zero's. He was grateful that he awoke before Yuki and Kaien; he didn't want to answer any questions. However, he faintly heard the giggling of the two girls that were sitting next to him. He thought he heard one of them say that they were a cute couple, but he could have been mistaken, so he didn't say anything. Kaname took a deep breath, accidentally inhaling the smell of Zero's shampoo, before letting out a sigh. '_His __shampoo__ smells __nice,__'_He thought idly.

Kaname opened his novel, reading from where he left off, careful to not make any sudden movements so he wouldn't wake the sleeping teen on his shoulder.

**xox**

Zero let out a yawn and his eyes fluttered open slightly. The first thing he noticed was the sunlight shining in his eyes. The next thing he noticed was Kaien talking with the ladies that were serving them "airplane" breakfast –yuck. He also noticed that Yuki wasn't there, she was probably in the bathroom, and that there were a few crying last thing he noticed, was that he was sleeping on Kaname's shoulder, and said vampire was awake –letting him sleep on his shoulder. He was reading the same novel from the previous night –Zero assumed since he recognized the characters' names.

"Kiryu," Zero jolted slightly at the sound of his name, "I know you're awake; can you please lift your head off of my shoulder?"

The silverette lifted his head off of the pureblood and rubbed his eyes, "You could have shoved me off."

"Don't be silly," Kaname said, not lifting his eyes from his book to look at Zero, "I was doing the airplane passengers a favor when I chose not to 'shove you off' –as you say it."

Zero glared at the brunette, but he reluctantly thought that Kaname was probably right; he would have thrown a fit if he was jerked awake without warning.

"Oh Zero!" Yuki made her way back to her seat, careful to not step on anyone's feet. "You're finally awake; we're almost there!"

Kaien nodded, smiling, "So eat your breakfast Zero! You'll need all the energy you can get for the rest of the day!"

"I'll wait until we land if we're almost there. Airplane food sucks."

Kaname couldn't help but agree with that statement, though the duo couldn't escape Kaien's whining and were forced to eat the horrid airplane food before they were 'nagged' to death.

**xox**

After they got off the plane, they hailed a taxi and checked into a Hotel –that was near the shopping district and the beach. Yuki wanted it that way, and of course Kaien couldn't resist what his _daughter _wanted –Kaname couldn't either.

Zero just went with the flow for this one. He wasn't complaining about being near the beach, just as long as he didn't have to carry Yuki's shopping bags, he was fine. The only thing he had to protest about, was sharing a room with Kaname.

"What!" Zero half groaned half screamed, attracting the attention of the people around them –tourists and employees. "I am _not_ absolutely _not _sharing a room with Mr. I'm-better-than-everyone-else!" He glared as he pointed his finger at Kaname –not meaning a word he said about the pureblood, but he was very convincing, and no one seemed to notice.

"Zero!" Yuki admonished. "There aren't enough beds to house you, Kaien, and Kaname-senpai!" She put her hands on her hips, "You aren't sharing a room with me."

Zero rolled his eyes, "Then why don't _you_ bed with Kuran? I'll take Cross over him _any _day."

Yuki glared, "Listen here Zero; you **are** going to share a room with Kaname-senpai."

The silverette met her glare with his own, "Just get separate bedrooms."

To outsiders, it looked like a fight was about to start, so someone called the security and Zero was rather forced to go along with Yuki's orders –much to his chagrin. He had experienced sharing a room with the brunette, but he'd rather not.

He would barely have any privacy; how would he be able to relieve himself?

Zero blushed and he shook his head rapidly, grateful that Kaname was walking ahead of him towards their room. The brunette swiped the card key across the sensor, and once he heard it unlock, opened it to reveal a luxurious room.

Sure, it wasn't as luxurious as his own bedroom, but it would do.

"You don't mind which bed you take if I remember correctly…?" Kaname asked, interrupting the thick silence between them.

"Uh yeah…" Zero blinked, surprised that he even remembered that small piece of information.

_But __he __prefers__ the__ bed __nearest __to __the__ window. _Kaname remembered idly. The last time they shared a room, the pureblood had chosen the bed nearest to the window. He could just barely see the disappointment in Zero's face when he chose that bed. However, the silverette didn't voice his displeasure, and went with the other bed.

So this time, Kaname decided to let Zero have the window bed. He nearly chuckled at Zero's pleased expression. Just a second after they unpacked everything, Yuki barged into the room, chattering about where they should go.

"Can't we just _rest_?" Zero complained, "It's our _first _day here." They would be there for two weeks for crying out loud!

Yuki crossed her arms, "It's _Hawaii_ Zero. We _must _go out!"

"Why don't we go to the Hotel pool and look up places to go to for the day?" Kaname compromised. That was relaxing enough and it satisfied Yuki's needs somewhat. He also didn't want to go anywhere just yet –he was a bit tired.

"I guess that's okay…" The girl shrugged. "I'm going to get my bathing suit then!"

The two males watched her as she skipped out back to the room she and Kaien shared. Zero sighed and looked longingly at the bed; well, he supposed that he _could_ fall asleep on one of the lounging beach chairs…

He doubted that Yuki would let him stay here.

"Kiryu?"

Zero looked up.

"I could persuade Yuki to let you stay up here if you like." He suggested.

Since when did _he _care? Zero shook his head slightly, "You know Yuki. I think it would be less trouble if I just went down there."

"Suit yourself."

They walked out of their room, a cell phone that could go onto the internet in Zero's hand, and a laptop in Kaname's. They waited out in the hall for Yuki to come back, only to hear it from her and Kaien about how they weren't dressed for swimming. Zero snorted and told them that they weren't normal for engaging in activity _right _after a long plane ride, while Kaname reminded them that he wasn't agreeable with the sunlight.

They all walked down to the pool in peaceful silence; Yuki broke it several times to make small talk with the handsome vampire. After they made it to the pool without getting lost, they discovered that it was an indoor one –much to Kaname's pleasure. He was able to sit near the pool without getting burned by the scorching eighty-nine degree summer heat.

Zero just sighed and dragged his feet toward the far end of the room where he'd be in solitude. He flipped open his phone, grateful that there was free internet access. He quickly went to several sites and entered some chat rooms, but there really wasn't anything much to do. He was just about to switch to his music player when someone logged in.

The silverette raised an eyebrow, '_Who__ is __this? __I__'__ve __never __seen __this __person__ on __before.__' _

_**DarkWine79: **__**I**__**'**__**m**__** fairly **__**new**__** to **__**this **__**site,**__** could**__** you **__**direct**__** me**__** to**__** the**__** FAQ?**_

Zero quickly pressed a few keys on his phone's keyboard before pressing send.

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**Scroll**__** down **__**and **__**it**__**'**__**ll **__**be **__**at**__** the **__**very **__**bottom**__** to**__** your **__**right.**__**  
><strong>_**  
><strong>A few minutes had passed and Zero wasn't sure if the person would even reply –but he or she did.

_**DarkWine79: **__**Thank**__** you **__**for**__** your **__**help.**_

Well…this person sure is courteous.

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**No**__** prob.**_

_**DarkWine79**** has**__** logged **__**off.**_

Zero stared at the screen, blinking a bit. Well, that was odd…He shook his head and pulled out his music player, putting it on max volume so he could block out all the unwanted noise.

**xox**

That night, Zero was left alone in the bedroom. Yuki and Kaien were already asleep and Kaname had gone off to who-knows-where. It was nearly eleven at night, but the silverette couldn't sleep.

He opened his laptop and logged into the chat room he was in at the pool. He sighed when he saw that no one was on and hacked into Yuki's computer out of boredom. Zero watched several music videos before he eventually got bored of doing that.

Then, he heard a small 'ting'.

He searched through the tabs that he had opened and realized that someone had messaged him. Zero immediately recognized the person and quickly guided his fingers across the keyboard.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** You**__**'**__**re **__**the**__** one**__** from **__**earlier.**_

He waited anxiously, his knees bouncing up and down to the beat in his head. A quick moment later, the person replied.

_**DarkWine79:**__** Yes. **__**I **__**hope **__**I**__**'**__**m **__**not **__**bothering**__** you.**_

Zero smiled slightly, thinking that it was quite the opposite. This person –whoever she or he was, was saving him from dying from sheer boredom.

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**You**__**'**__**re **__**not **__**bothering **__**me.**_ _**Was **__**there **__**anything**__** else**__** you**__** needed?**_

_**DarkWine79:**** No, **__**I**__** just **__**have**__** nothing**__** to**__** do.**_

Zero snorted.

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**Join**__** the **__**club.**_

_**DarkWine79:**** Are**__** you **__**bored?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****You **__**just **__**have**__** no**__** idea**__** how **__**much.**_

Zero brought his finger up to his lips before hesitantly typing out his next line.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** Do**__** you **__**mind **__**listening **__**to **__**other people's **__**problems?**_

_**DarkWine79:**** I**__**'**__**ve**__** nothing**__** else **__**to**__** do. **__**Go **__**ahead.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** I**__**'**__**m **__**in**__** love**__** with **__**this**__** guy**__**… **_

_**DarkWine79: ****You**__**'**__**re **__**a**__** girl?**_

Zero paused, not sure if he should tell a stranger his gender. Oh hell, he's dealt with vampires. He didn't think _anything_ else could compare to that. He opted to just ask, 'Are you?' instead.

_**DarkWine79:**__** I**__**'**__**m **__**a**__** male.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** Do**__** you **__**have **__**anything **__**against **__**gays?**_

The silverette fiddled with the computer wires nervously as he watched the words, 'DarkWine79 is typing' appear below their conversation. It seemed like a long time, but it was actually just thirty seconds before his reply came up. His eyes quickly scanned the reply.

_**DarkWine79:**__** No**__** I**__** don**__**'**__**t. **__**I **__**take **__**it **__**you**__**'**__**re **__**also **__**male **__**then?**_

Zero smiled, typing an affirmative answer into the chat box. He briefly explained his situation with Kaname; of course, he never once mentioned any specific names.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** Sorry, **__**I**__**'**__**m **__**probably **__**making**__** you **__**fall **__**asleep.**_

_**DarkWine79:**** Not **__**at **__**all. **__**As**__** for **__**advice, **__**I**__**'**__**d **__**say **__**you **__**should**__** tell **__**the **__**man, **__**but **__**if **__**you **__**could**__** you**__**'**__**d **__**probably**__** have **__**done **__**that **__**already**__** –**__**right?**_

The hunter inhaled and exhaled sharply, running his hands through his hair.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__**Exactly.**__  
><em>  
><em><strong>DarkWine79: <strong>__**I **__**think **__**you **__**should **__**try **__**communicating **__**your **__**feelings **__**in**__** some**__** way **__**though**__** –**__**if **__**not **__**verbally. **__**Otherwise, **__**he**__**'**__**ll **__**never**__** know.**_

Zero sighed and bid the male goodnight. He wasn't mad with the advice; it was the truth. There was nothing else he could do but that –and he'd take it into consideration. But he was tired now, and in no mood to continue the conversation through the entire night –no matter how nice or interesting this guy was.

He shut his laptop and put it back inside its bag before pulling the covers over himself. He didn't even notice that Kaname was still gone.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: And the mysterious person appears! -evil laugh- Ahem. You guys are free to guess who he is but I will not tell. **


	7. February 15th

**A/N: Sorry! I'm so late today. It's still Wednesday here, but I suppose it's like, already Thursday on everyone else's side of the world. I had Finals today and I just finished my Japanese finals, which is why this chapter was delayed. I hope you all can forgive me! Um, the beginning part is highly unlikely, but to defend myself, I doubt Kaname would burst into ashes from the first rays of sunlight. Also, I did make Kaname wear a jacket in the last parts. I also doubt that vampires "turn into ash" from sunlight either; there skin is probably just sensitive to sunlight and they burn easily. Finally, those girls that were in the plane will once more make an appearance here, and in several other chapters. They're not ocs, per se, but characters for comedy relief. I suppose that Zero is already comedy relief in some parts -laughs-.**

**And in reality, you can't walk to the mountains from the hotel (in Hawaii), you have to drive; but for the sake of the fiction, please imagine it being otherwise.**

**Day 2**

"Oh come on Zero!" Yuki called from about twenty feet ahead, "Why are you so slow?"

Zero glared at his "sister" and crossed his arms, "Yuki, it's fucking four in the morning."

"Language Zero," she reproached.

"I don't fucking care." He snapped. "This is _the _most fricking ungodly hour to be up. I could be asleep. Fuck, I bet even Kuran wants to sleep –he's just not showing it like the ass he is."

Kaname gave Zero a reproachful look at the use of his language, but he did have to agree that this was several hours too early. Sure, he was a vampire, but he had taken on human hours for this trip.

"But don't you want to see the sunrise?"

Zero gave her a flat stare, "You woke us up at four freaking _A.M_ to see the sunrise?" At Yuki's nod, he turned on his heel and began walking back.

"Zero! Where're you going!"

"Back. I'm tired and I want to sleep. You're probably going to make us walk around the mall later." He explained grumpily as he walked.

"You'll get lost!"

Zero glanced back at the two brunettes, "I'm not you Yuki."

The girl wanted to yell at Zero for that, but Kaname stopped her, reassuring her that Zero would make it back without getting lost. They went up the mountain a bit more and as soon as they made it to the top, the light of day began to peek up from the horizon. Yuki had sadly forgotten her camera, but she knew that she'd remember this forever.

After a few more minutes, the sun began to be a bit too much for Kaname, so they went back down the trail and to the hotel. A few mongooses had crossed their path –much to Yuki's surprise and delight. She exclaimed that Zero probably would have loved seeing them –because he had an affinity for animals.

Kaname stored the information in the back of his mind subconsciously as they continued walking toward the hotel. There were a lot of shops that were opening up and soon a lot of smells began to invade Kaname's senses. The gas from the cars had to be the worst. Inside the hotel was a bit better at least.

"Yuki! Kaname!" Kaien came running, sobbing all the way –attracting many glances from the people in the lobby. "I was worried sick! Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

Yuki and Kaname sweatdropped before explaining that they went to see the sunrise, "Zero came back before us; didn't he tell you?" Kaname inquired.

Kaien sniffed, wiping his nose with a handkerchief, "I checked your room; Zero wasn't there."

"WHAT!" Yuki screamed out.

Kaname was already out the door. His heart was racing; he tried to ignore it as much as possible. He explained his pounding heart with excuses like, "Zero is a vampire who has almost no control over his blood-lust, and to top it off, we're in an unfamiliar city."

He searched for about an hour, looking up and down the trail that they had traveled on in the morning. He covered his skin from the burning sun with a hoodie jacket. The brunette felt as if he was burning from the inside out, but he could withstand it for a little while longer. After he found Zero, the silverette would hear it from him.

Kaname finally gave up searching the trail and went looking down the streets. Zero couldn't have been on the trail; he would have found him by now if he was. He couldn't smell any blood from the hunter, so he wasn't hurt –thank god.

"Excuse me…" Kaname started off as he approached two girls sitting on a wooden bench in front of a clothing shop. "Have you seen…"

"KYA!" The girls both squealed in unison, surprising Kaname and the other people around them. "You're the man from the airplane!"

Kaname blinked, vaguely remembering that there were two teenage girls sitting across of them on the airplane. He wasn't sure if these two girls were the same ones, but he assumed they were by their reactions. He wasn't tooting his horn or anything, but Kaname was positive that nobody could mistake him for someone else. Then again, people have mistaken him for being Haruka –his father- and Rido –his uncle, but Kaname didn't really see the resemblance between the three of them. They looked totally different!

He smiled politely, "Yes…I'm looking for someone-"

The shorter girl pat her lap excitedly a few times, "Oh! Oh! Are you looking for the cute silverette with beautiful big lilac eyes and amazingly pure skin?"

"The pretty boy that was using your shoulder as a pillow?" The other girl asked.

Kaname twitched, not really liking how these girls were fawning over Zero's looks, but somehow remained composed, "Yes, that's the one. Have you seen him?"

The taller girl smiled knowingly and motioned her hand towards a bookshop, "He went in there a few minutes ago. We didn't see him come out yet."

"Are you a couple?" The other one asked.

"No." Kaname glowered and walked towards the bookstore, drowning out their fangirling squeals.

He sighed pleasurably as the cool air conditioner hit his skin. The brunette slid the hood off of his head before setting off to search the bookstore. It didn't take him too long; the bookstore was quite small, so he found Zero in a flash. The silverette was talking to one of the workers, possibly asking them questions about a book.

Zero wasn't one to talk to people out of leisure after all.

"Ki-" Kaname started, only to be interrupted by Zero's soft chuckling. His lips were pulled into a gentle smile and his cheeks were slightly red. The brunette's eyes narrowed dangerously, flashing with an emotion that he did not realize he had. His hands were clenched into tight fists and he turned, storming out of the bookstore.

What was this feeling? Why was he so mad? Was he jealous? No, that can't be it! Kaname shook his head as he continued his angry stride. He could care less for Zero; he loved Yuki and would care only for Yuki. _Only_ Yuki –nobody else matters.

He paused at the entrance of the hotel, spotting Yuki sitting on one of the chairs in the lounge. Yuki was beautiful –inside and out. The color of her hair, quality of her skin, and her large eyes would attract any man immediately. She was perfect. He knew he loved Yuki. Didn't he love Yuki?

Kaname sighed and he entered through the sliding doors, once again relishing the cool air conditioner. He was confused. He didn't like being confused; he _shouldn__'__t _be confused. He was Kaname Kuran –he understood everything.

So why was he doubting himself?

He ignored Yuki's questions about Zero and passed her without acknowledging her presence before entering the elevator, leaving Kaien and Yuki in confusion.

**xox**

Zero walked into the hotel a few minutes after Kaname. He had a small smile on his face and a plastic bag that held a book in his hands. Earlier, after he had walked away from Kaname and Yuki during their "hike", he had spotted a bookstore and decided to take a look. The book wasn't for himself, but for Kaname.

About a month ago, he was in a bookstore back at home when he spotted Kaname talking to someone at the front desk. He was asking them if they had a certain book in stock, they didn't. The pureblood looked really disappointed when they didn't have it, and Zero didn't see the book on his shelf when he had to go "visit" the pureblood, therefore, he assumed that Kaname wasn't able to buy it.

So the silverette bought it for him.

"Zero!"

The silverette looked up, slightly startled, "What?"

Yuki hugged Zero, "We were worried! Where did you go?"

When Kaien approached to join in to make it a group hug, Zero glared at him, effectively making the immature "adult" stay in place, "I was at the bookstore. Now be quiet and stop making a fuss. I'm sure I'm old enough to take care of myself, thanks."

Yuki pouted, "But still…"

"Where's Kuran?" Zero asked, looking around.

"Mm, well he went out looking for you…" Yuki started explaining, "But he came back just now and he looked upset…he went upstairs without saying anything."

The silverette's heart leapt when Yuki had stated that Kaname went looking for him. Well, he knew Yuki probably told him to look for him, but he was still happy. Although, the fact that Kaname was upset disturbed him- maybe he attracted attention from girls that were on the island? The brunette did want to use this vacation as an escape from fangirls after all.

He clutched the bag in his hand, drawing Yuki's attention; "I didn't know you liked reading Zero."

"It's not for me." Zero stated before he went up to his room in the same manner as Kaname, not bothering to explain anything. He swiped the card across the lock and went in once he heard it click.

"Kura-" Zero's eyes widened at the sight of an empty room. Kaname, his belongings, and his suitcase were gone. "Kuran?"

Zero placed the package with the book on Kaname's bed and looked around –but he was nowhere to be seen. He grumbled, moved to sit on the bed, and was about to call Yuki on his cell phone when he heard a crumple from underneath him. Zero got up and looked behind him. It was a note written in elegant cursive.

**"****Kiryu, ****due ****to ****recent ****events**** I****'****ve**** decided ****to ****get ****a**** separate ****room ****from**** yours.****" **

There wasn't any name, but Zero didn't need one.

"Kaname…" He whispered sadly.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: -gets killed by the many fangirls who were happy about Zero and Kaname sharing a room- I'm sorry! But you people will get kissing, touching, molesting, and flirting soon enough! Gosh, fangirls are scary. Anyways, if you see Kaname calling Zero by his first name, instead of his last name, and Zero didn't give him permission yet, then please tell me. I'm somehow used to Kaname calling Zero by his first name, so if you see that happening, it was a complete accident!**


	8. Kiss Me

**A/N: I almost forgot that today was Wednesday! -laughs- I went to the post office to mail something to my Japanese pen pal so yeah...we did different things today; that's probably why I forgot. Don't you people just love Winter break? I know I do. Anyways, you rabid fangirls get your "making out/kissy kissy" scene here. No lemon yet though. -runs away-**

**Day 4**

Kaname was avoiding him, Zero figured that much. The brunette never once spoke to him, made eye contact with him, or stayed anywhere alone with him. Yuki was confused, and she had asked Zero if anything happened between them, but he was just as confused as she was.

He sighed mournfully; he hadn't been able to give Kaname the book either. He didn't want to tell Yuki to give it to him. Oh how embarrassing it would be if Yuki knew that the book was a present for the pureblood. He would surely die of embarrassment.

"Damn it…" He cursed. "I wish I knew why the heck he's avoiding me…"

_Ting!_

Zero's ears perked up, his mouth twitching into a smile when he heard the familiar sound of his instant messenger. It was his new internet friend- DarkWine79. They could chat with each other for hours on end, but unfortunately, the male had work and was busy. Zero was often left disappointed when the other had to go and he always brought his cell phone around with him now –just in case the male came back online. It was childish he knew, but he couldn't help it.

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**You**__**'**__**re **__**late**__** by**__** thirty **__**minutes!**_

He typed in, waiting for a reply. Yes, they had a schedule on when to meet online too.

_**DarkWine79: **__**Sorry, **__**sorry. **__**I**__** was**__** busy. **__**How**__** are**__** you **__**Lilac?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** Busy?**__** You **__**probably**__** slacked **__**off**__** till **__**the **__**last **__**moment.**_

Zero paused before typing in his next line, only taking a few seconds.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** I**__**'**__**m **__**okay**__**…**__**but**__** I **__**do**__** have **__**another **__**problem.**_

**_DarkWine79:You__ sure __get __into __a__ lot __of __trouble._**

The silverette was about to type in his next reply, but Dark already had three other messages on the screen before he could do anything.

_**DarkWine79: **__**I**__**'**__**ll **__**be **__**glad **__**to **__**listen **__**to **__**your **__**love-life **__**problems.**_

_**DarkWine79: **__**What **__**happened **__**between **__**you**__** and **__**Mr.**__**Tall-and-handsome-**__**brunette **__**this **__**time?**_

**_DarkWine79_:_ And__ no, __I__ did __not __slack __off._**

Zero snorted.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__**Lies.**_

**_DarkWine79:-hands __to __his __chest-__ I__'__m__ hurt __Lilac._**

**_Lilac_Poison00:Whatever__ Dark._**

**_Lilac_Poison00:_ _How__ did __you __know__ it __was __about __my,__ '__love __life__' __as__ you __call __it?_**

Zero watched as a small pencil appeared under the chat box, telling him that Dark was typing. He could tell that the other male was taking his time, teasing Zero. Dark normally typed fast –perhaps faster than him sometimes.  
><em><br>__**DarkWine79:**__** Because **__**you**__**'**__**re**__** pre-dict-able.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****_Uh_-huh**__**… **_

Was he predictable?

_**DarkWine79:**__**So?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** He**__**'**__**s **__**avoiding **__**me.**_

_**DarkWine79**_:_**Oh?**_

The silverette could just see an elegant eyebrow go up.

_**DarkWine79: **__**Did**__** you **__**confess **__**to **__**him**__** in **__**your **__**sleep?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** No! **__**Oh**__**…**__**oh **__**no**__**… **_

_**DarkWine79:**** What?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****What **__**if **__**I**__** had**__** a**__** dirty **__**dream **__**and **__**moaned**__** out **__**his **__**name **__**in **__**my **__**sleep?**_

Zero was horrified. If Kaname knew the feelings he had for him, he'd definitely be disgusted! He was definitely doomed. The ex-hunter sat there for a while, confused as to why Dark wasn't writing anymore. He growled when he realized what the male was doing on his side of the screen.

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** You**__**'**__**re **__**laughing**__** aren**__**'**__**t**__** you?**_

_**DarkWine79:****Yes, **__**yes **__**I**__** am.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****Well**__** shut **__**up.**_

_**DarkWine79:****-salutes-**__**Yessir.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** Idiot.**_

_**DarkWine79:You love me –winks-**_

_**Lilac_Poison00: ****No, **__**I**__** love **__**Mr.**__**Tall-handsome-brunette.**_

_**DarkWine79:**** I**__**'**__**m**__** tall, **__**handsome, **__**and**__**brunette**__** too!**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****You **__**know **__**who **__**I**__**'**__**m**__** talking **__**about.**_

_**DarkWine79:**** Rejection **__**hurts.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****Life **__**isn**__**'**__**t **__**flowers **__**and**__** pixie **__**dust.**_

There was a short pause before Dark started typing again. Zero guessed that he was still trying to get over his laughter –much to the hunter's annoyance.

_**DarkWine79: **__**Tell **__**me**__** what **__**happened**__** the **__**day **__**he**__** started**__** avoiding **__**you.**_

Zero relayed the events that happened to him that day. They went hiking, he went back early, went into a bookstore, and apparently Kaname was looking for him, but something must have happened because he returned all upset.

_**DarkWine79:**__** He **__**wasn**__**'**__**t **__**avoiding **__**you **__**from**__** the **__**start **__**of**__** the **__**day, **__**so **__**it **__**must **__**have **__**not **__**been**__** that **__**you **__**had **__**a**__** dirty **__**dream.**__**  
><strong>_  
>Zero sighed in relief and hit himself for not realizing that before. It was common sense after all.<p>

_**Lilac_Poison00: **__**But **__**then **__**why **__**is **__**he **__**avoiding **__**me?**_

_**DarkWine79:**** I**__**'**__**m**__** not **__**your **__**tall, **__**handsome**__** brunette **__**Lilac; **__**how**__** am **__**I**__** supposed **__**to **__**know?**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**__** You **__**better **__**not **__**be**__** him **__**and **__**only **__**pretending **__**to **__**be**__** ignorant **__**of**__** who **__**I **__**am.**_

_**DarkWine79**_:_**-chuckles-**_

_**DarkWine79:****Here**__**'**__**s **__**my **__**suggestion: **__**Go **__**to **__**his **__**room, **__**place **__**the **__**book **__**along**__** with **__**a**__** note **__**on**__** the **__**floor, **__**knock**__** on**__** his **__**door, **__**and **__**then **__**run **__**away. **__**On **__**the **__**note, **__**tell **__**him**__** that **__**you**__** want **__**to **__**meet **__**him**__** somewhere **__**and **__**that **__**you **__**want **__**to**__** explain **__**what **__**happened.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:**** But **__**I **__**don**__**'**__**t **__**know**__** what **__**happened!**_

_**DarkWine79: Don**__**'**__**t **__**you **__**have **__**a**__** voice? **__**Ask! It'll be more likely that he'll come if you say you know rather than if you say that you don't.**_

_**DarkWine79: Now **__**hurry **__**up **__**and **__**do **__**it.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00:****Yes,**__**mother.**_

Zero logged off and got a random piece of paper out. He doubted that the note needed to be fancy and just scribbled out his words before placing it between the pages of the book. He headed down the hallway a few paces down. The silverette had followed Kaname one day –praying that the brunette wouldn't notice him. He continued walking, mumbling Kaname's room number to himself along the way.

"Room 2801…room 2801…"

He placed the book gently on the floor before knocking three times on Kaname's door, and then dashed off, heading for the meeting place he wrote on the note. Zero just hoped that Kaname would be willing to meet with him.

**xox**

Kaname lifted his eyes from his laptop when he heard someone knocking on his door. "It's open," he said, but after a few seconds the door still didn't open.  
><em><strong><br>**_The brunette sighed before getting up from his seat, stretching for a few moments, and walked towards the door. "I said it's open…"

Kaname paused when he saw no one at the door. He looked down both ends of the hallways, expecting someone to be there. He even looked up at the ceiling and behind himself –because of certain things that have happened in the past, he learned to be very cautious, but that's another story. He stepped forward slightly, a bit startled by the crinkle of plastic that he heard beneath his feet.

"What's this?" He wondered before bending down to examine the package. He pried away some of the plastic, eyes widening when he saw the book title. It was the book that he had wanted for a while. Kaname picked up the book after not sensing anything dangerous and started flipping through the pages. He blinked when a small piece of paper fell out of the book.

"Hm?"

The brunette picked up a pale yellow paper, narrowing his eyes –trying to decipher the messy handwriting.

'_Kuran,__ I__'__d__ like __to __clear __things __up __since __you __seem __so __pissed __at __me; __meet __me__ where __we __took__ pictures __yesterday__ at __the __beach.__ –__Zero__' _

Kaname stared at the note for a few moments before crumpling it in his fist and walking back inside the room. He threw the note in the trash bin before sitting in front of his laptop again. The pureblood threw the book onto his bed before browsing through the internet.

Clear things up? Kaname scoffed. What was there to be cleared up? There was nothing going on between them; Zero didn't need to explain anything. The brunette cared less about Zero's relationships. Kaname's lips pulled into a deeper frown as the seconds passed him by.

_Click!_

His computer mouse made a tiny clicking noise every now and then –sometimes several annoying adds would pop up as well.

Five minutes passed him by and his knee was bouncing up and down nervously. Ten minutes came and he was fidgeting. Finally, the clock struck fifteen minutes and the brunette couldn't stop himself from getting out of his seat and heading towards the beach. How long would the silverette wait? A part of him hoped that the hunter was still waiting.

Why? He still couldn't answer that –much to his great frustration.

It took him another ten minutes to get to the location but Zero was still there. He was sitting in the sand, the moonlight washing over him like a thin veil. The faint glowing of torch fire barely shone on the silverette's back.

Kaname was hesitant, but it didn't show in his body language definitely, "Kiryu."

Zero jumped and his head jerked towards the direction the vampire's voice came from, "Kuran."

The pureblood moved so he was closer to the younger teen after a few moments of tense silence, "You said you were going to explain."

"Explain to me first," Zero said, moving his eyes towards the night sky –not that there was much to look at, the city lights blocked out most of the starlight, and the clouds, looking a bit dirty from the light pollution, were beginning to cover up the moon. "I have no clue what you're so mad about."

Kaname stayed silent; he wasn't sure why he was so pissed off either. "I'm not sure myself," he reluctantly admitted.

Zero raised an eyebrow, looking back at the tall brunette once more, "What did you say?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," the pureblood growled and relayed what happened that day. "I saw you at the bookstore, and you were smiling; your cheeks were flushed a light pink. I got mad then."

Zero snickered to himself, although he was a bit embarrassed that the brunette caught him looking like that. Kaname's temper was incredibly short by this time –it was late and considering he took on human hours, he was unbelievably tired. The brunette pounced onto Zero, pinning him against the soft, grainy sand –mad that Zero was laughing at him.

Zero's round lilac eyes widened, staring directly into beautiful, faint red orbs. His eyes traveled up and down Kaname's face, taking in every detail. The way his hair waved and curled; his long dark eyelashes, perfectly shaped nose, perfect proportions; the angle of his face; everything about him was perfect.

His lips.

Zero's hand reached up and traced Kaname's lips before he could help it, making the brunette tense. He curiously threaded his hands through the brown, silky locks before tracing the male's jaw. Kaname's hands found Zero's sides, both hands trailing down to the silverette's thighs. The lilac-eyed male visibly shivered before wrapping his arms around the brunette's body.

His beautiful muscular body.

The hunter drew in a sharp breath when Kaname began to caress his thighs, "Kaname…"

The Kuran's eyes widened at the sound of his first name escaping Zero's lips, and they widened even more when Zero gave him a small, sweet; innocent kiss. Kaname's eyes slowly fluttered close and his arm went under the curve of Zero's back, drawing them closer, making the kiss deeper. The place they were in, Yuki; everything vanished from his mind in that moment.

Zero's tongue experimentally darted out and brushed against his own, making shivers go down both of their backs. "Kaname," Zero gasped out, the heat going to his groin.

The brunette growled and thrust his hips up, making Zero throw his head to the side, "Ze-"

"Kaname! Zero!" Yuki's voice came from quite a distance away.

The two males jerked back from each other in shock, untangling their limbs, and moved so that they were at a reasonable distance away from each other. Their hearts were pounding so hard in their cages that they thought it would burst. Zero quickly brushed the sand out of his hair, trying to will his problem away. Kaname had managed to get himself together first, and stood, plastering a small smile on his face for the girl running towards them. It seemed like she didn't see them…like _that_.

"Why didn't you tell me that you two were going out?" Yuki pouted.

Kaname gently patted Yuki's head, "It was a sudden decision; we didn't want to be a bother."

Yuki seemed to accept that answer and was about to ask Zero why his face was so red when a big boom echoed through the area. The brunette girl clapped her hands excitedly, "Fireworks!"

Zero and Kaname watched as the girl skipped across the sand –a few feet away from them. She didn't notice how Zero's eyes were trailing down Kaname's body from the corner of his eyes, or how Kaname was entranced by Zero's figure glowing under the flares of the fireworks.

Kaname held a hand out to Zero, and the silverette grabbed it, gasping as he felt a spark when their skin touched. The brunette slid his fingers down the curve of Zero's back for a brief moment before he too walked away from Zero –but he wasn't at all near Yuki.

Zero's eyes went from looking at Kaname's gorgeous back to the colorful fireworks that were lighting the sky. What he did with the brunette had finally begun to sink in.

_I __made __out__…__with __the __hottest __guy__ on__ the __school __campus__…__no__…__on __planet__ earth__…__on __a__ beach__…__in __public._

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Happy now? All happy? No? Not Happy? -watches you guys stalk towards Yuki- WAIT. DON'T KILL YUKI! -stiffens when you guys turn to me- Don't kill me either! You won't get updates if you kill me!**

**So, noticed I made Kaname's room number "2801"? I didn't choose those numbers randomly -shot-! And Dark appears again- I enjoyed writing Dark's and Zero's conversations for this story. Super fun- although I think they're a _bit_ OOC... **


	9. Can't Keep My Eyes Off You

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! It's not a Wednesday, but to thank everyone for your kind reviews I decided to upload on Christmas! Consider it your Christmas present from me to you. Of course, it's not Christmas themed, but I hope you still enjoy it. I actually cut this chapter in half, but I'll be uploading the other half on Wednesday like usual. Please enjoy!**

**Day 5**

_**DarkWine79 has logged on. **_

_**Lilac_Poison00: I kissed him.**_

_**DarkWine79: Congratulations! Was it a French kiss?**_

Zero blushed, remembering the feeling of their tongues brushing against each other, the heat of the pureblood's body mingling with his. The brunette's large hands holding his body, the feeling of Kaname's ere-

_Ting!_

Zero jumped at the sound of the instant messenger, not realizing that it had been five minutes since the last message.

_**DarkWine79: I'm beginning to suspect that it wasn't just a kiss. **_

_**Lilac_Poison00: Our hands were going down each other's bodies…but we didn't do much else. We were in public on the beach…**_

_**DarkWine79: Wow you two really got it on. Tell me when you decide to have public sex.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00: Okay I am not talking about this with you!**_

_**DarkWine79: You started it.**_

Zero glared at the computer screen, face red with embarrassment. He liked talking with Dark, he really did, but sometimes he was so annoyingly perverted that he wanted to punch him.

_**DarkWine79: Oh, someone just came into my room. I'll talk to you later.**_

Well, that was a short conversation.

_**Lilac_Poison00: Oh, all right. See ya.**_

_**DarkWine79 has logged off.**_

Zero sighed and stared at his computer screen, not really _looking_ at anything. His mind trailed back to Kaname's touches. He _knew_ that he would never be able to let go of Kaname now that he's felt his lips; his gentle touches. Zero groaned –oh, how he longed for more! Heck, even _more_ wouldn't possibly be enough.

He turned his head lazily to the door when someone started knocking on it, "What is it?" He drawled.

"It's me Yuki," came the feminine voice from the other side of the door, "We're going down to eat breakfast!"

"I'm coming!" Zero said, loud enough for her to hear. After he heard an 'okay,' he randomly grabbed a clean shirt before looking for jeans to match. He slipped on his sneakers and opened the door, "Ready."

Yuki frowned, "At least brush your hair!" She reproached and handed him a small comb that she kept in her bag.

Zero rolled his eyes, "I'm a boy."

Kaname grabbed the comb and started brushing it through Zero's locks, "Yes, but your hair looks like a bird's nest."

"Exactly!" Yuki agreed.

Zero looked down at his feet, a small blush creeping up to his face, "Fine! But I'll brush my own hair!" He whirled around and snatched the comb from Kaname, "Don't treat me like a child."

"You're acting like one." Kaname stated pointedly.

The silverette growled and excused himself to the bathroom so he could comb his hair while looking at a mirror. Kaname was acting normally –though he seemed to be a bit nicer than he used to. Sometimes he couldn't believe the masks the pureblood was able to put on. It was frustrating too –because he never knew what the brunette was thinking.

He looked at the mirror and nodded to himself in approval. He was sure that the two brunettes wouldn't complain now. He pocketed the comb and walked outside, entered the elevator, and went down to the dining area to look for Kaname and Yuki.

He spotted the two right away in the large dining hall. But it was mostly because Kaien was there, and he was waving him over. Zero had the sudden urge to facepalm and slam his head against something –preferably the hard concrete wall that was next to him. It was embarrassing.

The silverette marched over to them and snapped at Kaien, "Stop it! It's embarrassing when you do that."

Kaien just smiled and motioned him to sit down. He told the teen that he'd ordered his food for him –much to Zero's anxiousness. "What the heck did you order for me?" He asked, hoping that it wasn't something crazy.

"Oh, just pancakes with strawberries and whip cream!" Kaien replied cheerfully.

Zero sighed, muttering that it had better be _just_ that. Yuki reassured him with a laugh that he did just order pancakes for him. Zero's eyes slowly moved to Kaname, who seemed to be in his own world. A blush crept up to his face, his mind drifting off to the events from the previous day when his eyes landed on Kaname's broad chest.

"Kiryu," Kaname's voice interrupted his daydreams, "You're red. Do you have a fever?"

'_What the-? He actually sounds concerned.'_ Zero blinked, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Yuki asked, also concerned, "We're going out today, so if you don't feel up to it…"

"We're going out?" Zero half groaned.

Yuki kicked him, emitting a hiss from the hunter's lips, "Don't complain. It's been five days! You should be well rested!"

She smiled brightly, "Besides, we're going to the zoo!"

"The…zoo?" Zero's heart thumped in his cage. Excitement crept up to his chest, and he smiled brightly; it was brighter than Yuki's smile. He jumped out of his seat, forgetting where they were, and that the love of his life was sitting right in front of him, "The zoo!"

At Yuki, Kaien, the waiter approaching them, and dear Lord, _Kaname's_ chuckle, he had realized what he had done. Zero slowly sunk back into his seat, a bright, adorable blush on his face. He weakly kicked Kaname in the shin and instead of hiding his face in his arms, threw the sharpest glare he could at him. "Shut up."

"Yes, yes." Kaname replied, a smug smile on his face.

Zero ignored everyone around him and dug into his pancakes, silently wondering why the pureblood was staring at him all throughout their meal.

**xox**

Kaname couldn't keep his eyes off of the hunter. It was excruciatingly painful to watch Zero's hips sway as he walked. He noticed that everything that Zero did sent chills down his spine. Kaname watched as silver strands covered a part of his face, how his long eyelashes created tiny shadows on his skin, and how his pink tongue darted out to wet his precious, pale pink, soft lips of his. Kaname cursed inwardly as he remembered Zero's body wrapped around him, how his lips, chest, and thighs were pressed right up against him. He didn't know that Zero's body felt _that_ fragile and he had absolutely no idea that a male could taste that good. The pureblood had no idea that _Zero _could be so…addicting.

He sighed and tried to keep his eyes off of Zero's pale neck. The vampire dug into his waffles when Yuki's petite voice reached his ears, telling him that if he didn't eat, his breakfast would become cold.

Kaname looked up, surprised to see that Zero was staring right back at him. Zero's round cheeks flushed a cute pink, and he looked down, shoving his food down his mouth. Kaname chuckled softly so nobody could hear, watching as Kaien and Yuki fussed over Zero's actions.

"You have a good appetite." Kaname commented as he took a sip of his water, looking at Zero from under his eyelashes.

He watched Zero's long, almost effeminate fingers fumble with his napkin. "You do too." The hunter replied as he eyed Kaname's now clean plate.

They hadn't said much to each other throughout the day. Yuki had noticed that the two males had been acting strangely civil towards one another, albeit awkward. Kaname smiled at the girl as she asked him shyly if anything happened between them. The pureblood answered that nothing in particular had happened between them; they just figured that it would be better to act friendlier to each other on their vacation.

Yuki seemed to buy it, although she often shot the two suspicious glances.

His eyes often wandered to Zero, and although he tried to stop himself from doing so, it was futile. His eyes always found Zero's lithe body.

There was a moment when Zero had come close to Kaname and the pureblood nearly lost it when the hunter's shampoo wafted through his nose. He felt his fangs elongate and he knew that his eyes were turning a pale shade of red. He quickly excused himself to the bathroom to rid himself of the desire for blood.

This was more torturous than the hours of studying he had had to do as a child.

Once he came back out of the bathroom, he tried to avoid going close to Zero as much as possible, however, to avoid Zero worrying over why, he often made small talk with the hunter. Hopefully, the silverette wouldn't notice anything strange.

Of course, the hunter just had to notice _something_, "What is it Kuran?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about Kiryu," Kaname feigned innocence and quickly changed the subject to the destination they would be going to.

To the brunette's amusement, Zero's eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the word, and his lips twitched upwards. He guessed that Zero wanted to smile widely, but was trying to hold back his emotions.

"When are we going anyways?" Zero's tone of voice was cool and disinterested, however, the outburst of excitement that the hunter had at breakfast, and the bouncing of his leg clearly told Kaname how he really felt.

Yuki piped into the conversation here, saying that they would be leaving in twenty minutes. The zoo was open from nine in the morning till four-thirty in the afternoon, so they figured that they might as well go early to beat the scorching sun.

Zero was wearing shorts, and a loose tank top at the moment, so when the hunter arched his back to stretch and let out a long pleasurable sigh, Kaname couldn't help but be affected…tremendously.

He could only thank god that he was seated at a table behind a couch. The pureblood sighed, fiddling with the pages of his book.

What in the world was wrong with him?

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	10. Close to You

**A/N: I had to connect a part from what's supposed to be in the next chapter to here to make it longer -laughs-. The zoo part was a bit too short to hold its own. I think the lemon chapter will come in the next chapter too! Don't expect much though, this is only my...third time writing one? I dislike writing lemons because it's super hard to get the feeling right -laughs nervously-. But that's for the next chapter! This one is filled with fluff, fluff, and more fluff. I hope you enjoy!**

**xox**

Zero was well ahead of Kaien, Yuki, and Kaname as they were walking towards the Zoo. They asked him not to walk so fast, but the silverette declared that he was walking at a _normal_ pace while they were the ones that were walking too _slow._

"I'll just pay for the tickets since you guys are moving in slow motion." Zero said when he saw that the trio behind him was still turning the corner. He walked up the stairs and straight to the ticket booths. "Four adults."

The person nodded and told him the price before handing him the tickets. Zero quickly gave the worker the money for admission before he slipped the tickets into his back pocket. He turned to Kaname, Yuki, and Kaien who were just heading up the stairs, "I got the tickets; let's go!"

Zero grabbed both Yuki's and Kaname's hands, dragging them to the first exhibit. The silverette didn't seem to notice or care that he was holding Kaname's _hand _tightly in his own. Yuki, Kaname, and Kaien looked down at Zero's hands; all three of them were quite surprised that Zero would even think of holding the pureblood's hand, but perhaps he was just too excited to care about whose hand he held.

Yuki was the first to slip her hand out of Zero's as they approached the exhibit. "Flamingos!" She cried and hurriedly reached for her camera that she had placed in her small handbag before they left the hotel. She snapped several pictures before handing the camera to Kaien to take pictures of her, Kaname, and Zero together in front of the dozens of flamingos behind them.

"Where should we head to now?" She asked as they walked. There was a sign coming up saying that the bird exhibit was to their left, though if they kept walking, there would be an elephant exhibit.

As they walked past a booth for parents to buy strollers for their kids, Zero rolled his eyes and said as if it were obvious, "The elephants. We see birds _all_ the time!"

"Not these kinds of birds!" Yuki insisted.

Zero rolled his eyes again, "If you wanted to see the birds then why did you give us a choice?" He flipped open the brochure to look at the map, "Look, if we go all the way around the zoo, we'll come to the birds last. Come on, let's go see the elephants."

Yuki grumbled, stomping off after the silverette, Kaname and Kaien following close behind. The "adult" chaperone paused at a garden, apparently called the Fuji Stroll garden, and insisted they took pictures here. They took a few, if only to make the man cease his whining, before resuming their walk towards the elephants. Yuki spotted a Hippo sculpture that she could pose on, and told the two boys that they could go to the elephants ahead of them.

She knew that Zero wanted to hurry up and see some animals.

"I hope we don't have to stop for pictures _all _the time." Zero grumbled to Kaname as they approached the elephant exhibit. He placed his hands on the railing, staring at the huge mammals that were currently facing their behinds towards them. The exhibit was fairly small and very dusty. He watched as the elephants flapped their large ears, cooling themselves off and unintentionally swatting away flies.

Kaname chuckled and crossed his arms, "Well, if you have pictures then you'll remember this day better."

"That's…true…but if we don't leave fast enough, then you…" Zero mumbled under his breath. The sentence was clearly not for the vampire to hear, especially the last part, but he did anyways.

"Are you worried about my wellbeing Kiryu?" The pureblood asked with a raised eyebrow.

The silverette flushed a rose red; "Shut up! I'm not worried about you…"

Kaname chuckled once more, amused by Zero's denial, before turning to Yuki, who was already skipping towards them. "What are the elephants doing?" She asked, tippy-toeing so she could see.

The brunette male smiled at her, "They seem to be eating."

Yuki made a sound of acknowledgment before pouting, "I wish they'd face this way…"

After a few minutes, the elephants still didn't do anything interesting, and the brunette girl was starting to get bored. She looked around for another exhibit that would be slightly more interesting. Her eyes sparkled when they spotted an exhibit to their left where adults and their children gathered eagerly; "Oh look! Monkeys!" The girl started skipping away from the three males, "Come on slowpokes!"

Zero growled before walking after her, he didn't have to look back to know that Kaname and Kaien were following close behind. They soon arrived at the exhibit for the primates. It was a circular exhibit that had water surrounding a circular area in the middle. The land in the middle of the water had a large tree with poles that the monkeys could climb and play on. The water, if you looked close enough, had turtles swimming around, bobbing their heads above the water for oxygen.

"Ew…That monkey is pooping!" Yuki blanched.

Zero smirked, "Why are you acting so grossed out Yuki? You do the same thing after all."

"I do not!" The girl exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Oh? You don't have a need to take a dump?" Zero asked, "You must not be human."

Yuki, who was all flustered, couldn't find the words to tell Zero off and just huffed to look at the other exhibits that had a different species of monkeys. After they spent a decent amount of time admiring the primates, they ventured towards the snakes and other reptiles. Zero didn't care to read the information for each animal, but the other three did, so even when he was finished looking at all of the reptiles, the other three weren't even halfway through.

The silverette sighed and took a seat on a bench, taking a sip of his water. The reptiles were held in a building, and it was dark; the only lighting in the area was the lights coming from inside the reptiles' little exhibits.

Kaname finished reading much faster than the other two, not that Zero was surprised. Kaname's intellect was far superior to Yuki's and Kaien's. What _did_ surprise Zero was the fact that the pureblood decided to sit on the same bench he was currently occupying. He wasn't sitting at the edge of the bench either; they were sitting shoulder to shoulder.

"Um…" Zero started off lamely, slightly stiff.

Kaname looked at Zero from the corner of his eyes, slightly amused, "Yes?"

"Never mind…it's nothing."

The brunette shrugged slightly, eyes chuckling at Yuki's whines of, 'You read too fast!'

**"**Are you enjoying this?" The hunter asked suddenly.

Kaname, slightly surprised that the younger was asking if he was enjoying himself or not, took a few moments before he answered, "Yes I am." He looked at Zero, "Are you?"

"Of course-" Zero turned his head to look at Kaname, flushing when he saw Kaname looking at him as well. He quickly turned his head to look outside, away from the pureblood.

After Kaien and Yuki finally reached the end, they walked out to look at the alligators. That part was pretty boring, considering they weren't doing anything and just floated in the water like logs. They walked across the bridge and _would _have stopped at the garden if not for Zero reminding them that they had to get out of the zoo before the sun got to be too much. The silverette wanted to see as much as possible; thankfully, it was starting to get overcast.

They quickly moved onto the African Savannah section of the zoo. The first thing they saw was the hippos and the crocodiles. The water was pretty disgusting, it was murky and there was debris everywhere. Yuki thought she was about to hurl when she saw feces floating in the water. Zero just scoffed at her before moving on.

There were more flamingos next before they came across zebras and giraffes. Zero was pleased to see the animals were pretty close and facing them. There were a few that were grazing on the grass and the trees; there were some that were just standing and staring at them. Zero smiled, and the others couldn't help but snap a few secret pictures of Zero's smiling face. Kaname got the best picture, though he got caught right after he took it since he was standing near the silverette. The lilac-eyed male turned at the sound of a shutter and growled.

"Give it!" Zero hissed, reaching for the camera in Kaname's hand.

Kaname clucked his tongue, chuckling as the silverette started chasing him. "Now why would I do that Kiryu?"

"Because I'll kill you!"

Kaname's eyes flashed dangerously, "Not if I kill you first."

"We'll see about that," Zero held his hand out for the camera, a challenging look in his eyes.

"I can't wait," The brunette purred, swiftly taking the memory card out of the camera in a way that Zero wouldn't notice, and handed him the camera.

"Thank you." The hunter replied as he stuffed the camera into his pocket before swiveling towards the cheetah exhibit, and would have crashed into a peacock if not for Kaname grabbing his arm to stop him. "Stupid…bird…" Zero mumbled, glaring at the colorful bird that had flown towards a nearby tree, staring at the hunter almost mockingly.

"Guys!" The two males looked up at Yuki's voice, seeing her wave them down, "Come on! The cheetah is RIGHT in front of the viewing glass!"

**xox**

**Day 6**

Yuki had a big bright smile on her face; they were going shopping today! Kaname had told her that since yesterday was Zero's day, today would be Yuki's day, and the next day would be Kaien's day. She had asked Kaname if _his_ day would be after Kaien's, but the tall brunette just smiled and said, "My day is your day."

She sighed dreamily as she sipped her smoothie, "Kaname is so romantic isn't he?"

"You're not going to go all fangirly on me are you?" The silverette next to her asked with a groan.

Yuki pouted, "You wouldn't understand. He's such a gentleman too," the brunette girl let out a mournful sigh, "Why can't you be more like Kaname?"

She puffed her cheeks as Zero rolled his eyes in a way that she would definitely notice. The day that Zero could be more like her prince charming would be the day that scientists figured out how to accurately predict the weather.

"So where are you going to drag us next now that we've had a satisfying breakfast?" The hunter asked, clearly thinking that he wasn't going to enjoy the day.

Yuki put her finger to her lips in deep thought, "Oh, I was just thinking of going around Moana mall since it's close by." She began to kick her feet back and forth, "But Pearl mall and Wind mall would be great too…especially Wind mall."

"So why don't we go there?"

"Because it's on the other side of the island!" She cried.

The hunter raised his eyebrow in amusement, "So you _are_ thinking of us."

"Of course I am!" Yuki exclaimed as she stomped her high heel clad feet. Her expression brightened at the figure walking across the hotel lounge towards them, "Kaname!" She had dropped the honorifics because the pureblood had insisted.

Kaname smiled back at her, but only slightly, and nodded his head to Zero who nodded back. Yuki's smile dropped a little, but not enough for the two male's to notice. She was happy that Kaname and Zero were getting along better now, but it happened so fast that it was strange.

"Where's Cross?" Zero asked as Kaname took a seat predictably next to Yuki.

"He won't be joining us today it seems," Kaname replied and elaborated that he had seen an old friend.

Yuki nodded, "Oh well that's okay. We'll just have to remember to buy him something…" She looked up at hearing Zero groan again, "What?"

"It's just that I'm going to be the third wheel in this shopping excursion."

"What ever do you mean Zero?" Yuki asked, feeling her face heat up, "This isn't a date."

"Oh, but like you said Yuki, Kaname is romantic." He said before quickly adding, "It'll inevitably turn into a date in no time."

Yuki tried to laugh convincingly, "Oh Zero, that's just silly!" _Zero thinks that Kaname is romantic?_

She quickly pulled the two males to their feet, dragging them to the mall. She talked, blabbing about everything and nothing, hoping that they wouldn't notice her strangeness. No, she was probably thinking too much for her own good. Yeah, that had to be it. After all, Zero _hated _Kaname right?

"Oh look at this cute shop!"

Yuki smiled at all the cute dresses and picked out around a dozen before heading towards the dressing room. She pulled Kaname and Zero behind her, telling them to stay where she put them so they could give her their opinion on the clothes she chose. The brunette girl quickly changed and came out of the dressing room in a flattering, flowy, knee-length dress. However…

"Um...guys?" Yuki puffed her cheeks, she told them to stay right where they were! She turned her head, seeing Zero and Kaname near the jewelry. They were shoulder to shoulder, and they seemed to be talking to each other, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. The girl frowned slightly and cleared her throat, "Guys? What do you think of this dress?"

Zero and Kaname both looked back at the girl, looking her up and down. The silverette stated bluntly, "That shade of yellow doesn't look good on you."

"Don't be rude Kiryu," Kaname reproached.

"Well, she wanted an opinion and she has one." Zero said with a shrug, "It's pointless to ask us if we're not being truthful."

Yuki huffed and went back into the dressing room to try on another dress as Kaname and Zero continued arguing as if she wasn't there. _Couple's quarrel? _Yuki shook her head violently, "I have to stop thinking that…"

**xox**

They shopped for quite a few hours and by the end of the day, Zero complained of having blisters on his feet. Yuki complained too. They went to the bookstore, several clothing stores, toy stores, and a DVD store. Their last stop was at the food court and after an hour they were ready to go back home.

Kaname and Zero had split the bags between themselves evenly so that they would be easier to carry, "Yuki did you have to buy so much?" The hunter asked as he shifted the bags in his hands.

"It's not _that _much." Yuki said.

"Well _we _didn't get much stuff, but you have like...four bags of clothing!"

"Seven," the two brunettes corrected.

"It's only three off," Zero snapped with a red face.

The three hopped onto a bus so they wouldn't have to walk with the massive amount of bags. It was a nice ride, surprisingly, the buses in Hawaii were very clean and they smelled alright. A lot of the buses looked really new inside and out, making Yuki wonder if Hawaii received new buses on a regular basis.

As they arrived nearer to the hotel, Zero reached over the side and pulled the string for a requested stop. A melodious ring resonated through the air and after a minute, the bus stopped at the bus stop nearest to the hotel.

The trio got off of the bus, dragging the shopping bags behind them, and as soon as they got into the hotel, they were greeted by a hyperactive Kaien. Yuki sweatdropped, giving Kaien a small plastic bag filled with knick-knacks, snacks and things. She also gave him several shirts.

"Thank you my lovely daughter~" Kaien sang, "Oh and by the way, my friend invited me out for dinner, so you guys don't have to worry about me if I'm not around kay?"

"Yeah sure," Zero grunted as he bent down to carry the bags that he had put on the floor to rest his hands.

"We should put these bags in our rooms so we don't have to worry about them," Kaname suggested.

"I'm all for forgetting them," Zero snorted.

Yuki rolled her eyes, leading them to their floor. First they would drop off Yuki's bags at her room since she had the most out of all of them. They placed the clothes filled plastic bags onto Yuki's hotel bed, "Alright Yuki," Kaname turned to them, "I'll see you two at dinner?"

Zero and Yuki nodded in unison.

"Then I'll take my leave." Kaname nodded as he turned to go out of the door and to his bedroom.

The silverette also nodded towards Yuki, "I'm going to go too then."

"Wait Zero," Yuki held onto Zero's wrist, "I need…to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Do you _like _Kaname?" The brunette asked, seriousness plastering itself onto her face.

"Well, he's surprisingly civil and agreeable..." Zero trailed off when Yuki started shaking her head.

"No, not that kind of like, I mean- _love_."

She watched Zero's expression change to what she'd describe as panic before it changed to an "are-you-kidding-me" look. "Hah, yeah right. The walking must have done damage to your brain. See you later Yuki."

The girl watched Zero's every move as he went out of the room and curled her hands into fists.

_I'm sorry Zero, but…he belonged to me first…_

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Ah, this chapter took so long to edit -laughs-! There were a bunch of things I was completely unsatisfied with, and I don't know how I even wrote like how I wrote. The lack of details was an eyesore! I cut out parts of the names of the malls, but if you've been to Hawaii you probably know what malls I'm talking about. I wasn't sure if I could use the real names of the malls here or not. I couldn't think of alternate names though and just used half of their original names. I hope you enjoyed! **


	11. Drunk on You

**A/N: Aaah, I'm still new to writing lemons; I don't really love writing them because of how hard they are to write. I love those who can write one properly! I'm sorry if you end up being disappointed, but I hope that this won't turn you away from reading the rest of the story! Oh, but Wookie seemed to like the lemon...****She commented on how Kaname probably wouldn't curse, though I retorted by saying: "Well, he does during sex," but I did edit it a little bit, and changed a few curse words to normal...things. So he curses a lot less; I now realize that a cursing Kaname is _very_ strange. **

**Dinner**

Yuki _knew -_or at least it was obvious enough to make her speculate. Zero groaned and scratched his scalp in frustration, searching for decent clothes for dinner. How would he be able to look at her in the face tonight? She probably suspected it more than ever now after that poor comeback.

His hands paused in their frantic search for a matching jacket to go with his shirt, "_That means…She'll probably be all over Kaname tonight…" _

Zero sighed and flopped onto the bed. He had to do something to get Yuki to stop suspecting that he liked the handsome brunette. Perhaps if he kept his distance? No, that would look suspicious too because they had gotten close during this vacation…

Kaname would start asking questions too…

"Ugh, life really hates me." He buried his face into his pillow, wishing that Dark didn't have to go on a business trip and would just come online already.

_Knock Knock _"Kiryu, are you ready yet?"

Zero settled for grabbing a black sweater and studded belts, "Just a minute!" He quickly fastened them on before jogging towards the door, "Okay, now I-…" The silverette paused and licked his lips at Kaname's appearance.

The brunette wore a black jacket with a white button up shirt and dark jeans with black shoes. He smelled as if he had just taken a shower, which he probably did, and he looked _really _delicious –especially that exposed creamy neck of his...

"Kiryu are you alright?"

"Huh?" Zero blinked, not quite catching what the brunette said.

Kaname arched an eyebrow and gently put his hand under Zero's chin, making Zero jerk back and ask what the hell he was doing, "Checking if you have a fever…" the brunette withdrew his hand, "It looks like you're not sick after all. I asked if you were alright earlier."

Zero cupped his cheeks as they flushed red, "I'm fine…"

"Are you sure? You're turning red."

"I said I'm fine!" Zero huffed and shoved his hands into his pockets before he blinked again, only now noticing that the other brunette wasn't present. "Huh? Where's Yuki?"

"It's Yuki's…'time of the month'." Kaname continued after Zero nodded, "So she feels a little sick now…"

"You're not going to stay with her?" Zero asked. He was almost _certain _that Kaname would have stayed behind to take care of Yuki.

Kaname gave Zero a flat stare, and the silverette knew that he had just asked him something very stupid, "Kiryu, I'm a vampire and a woman's time of the month is _blood _related-"

"Okay!" Zero glared at the brunette, his face flushed an angry red, "I get it, it was a stupid question."

Kaname nodded and Zero let out a soft sigh when he realized…

_Oh my god…__**Thump thump**_- went Zero's heart. _Isn't this…like a date? Crap! I-…oh my god…I'm going to dinner…alone…with Kaname Kuran…I…oh…Should I have worn something nicer? I hope my hair looks okay…I never really combed it well…_

Zero touched his hair subconsciously, making Kaname smile a little bit, "You look fine Kiryu."

The silverette blushed, "Shut up, I wasn't thinking about that."

"Of course." Kaname started walking towards the elevator, knowing that the younger male would follow, "Where do you want to eat?"

"Huh?"

Kaname chuckled in amusement, "You seem to have a bit of a hearing problem tonight Kiryu…"

"Oh be quiet!" Zero growled and hit the elevator button for down, "I heard you just fine; I was just surprised you asked."

"Well, Yuki told me what she had in mind-"

"Then let's just go there." The lilac-eyed male interrupted, not understanding why Kaname was even asking if there was already a planned destination.

"Yuki isn't coming with us."

Zero snorted, "Thank you Mr. Obvious, so what?"

Kaname sighed, grateful that he had patience, "Since she isn't coming, I thought that I should ask you where you want to go to suit your tastes."

Zero whirled his head towards Kaname, eyes wide and jaw slack, he only just managed to splutter out a, "What?"

_Ding!_

Kaname walked in, holding the elevator open for the other male, "You can choose the place to eat."

Zero quickly walked into the elevator, still a bit in shock, "O…kay…"

The brunette pressed the button for the ground floor, "Why don't we look around the area first and then we can choose where we want to eat?"

"Yeah, sure." Zero shrugged.

**xox**

They didn't walk that far and stayed in the area around the hotel. The streets were filled with fast food restaurants and places that served food from different countries. Zero chose the one restaurant that he thought was fancy enough for Kaname, but also suited his tastes as well.

It was an outdoor restaurant with Japanese lanterns for the lighting. The decorations looked fancy, though they were probably cheap, but Kaname liked it and Zero was very happy that the brunette approved of his choice.

A few minutes after they got their menus, a waiter approached them. He was a pretty clean-cut good-looking waiter, and he was eying Kaname with a hunger that Zero had seen in the fangirls back at home.

The waiter openly flirted with the pureblood, making the silverette's jaw clench, "Excuse me, I think you're supposed to be taking our orders, not _flirting_. I don't believe that _flirting _is in your job description." Zero snapped with more hatred than he might have intended.

The waiter stared at Zero in surprise, as if he had not noticed the other male there before, and Kaname sighed softly, apologizing to the waiter. He told them what he and Zero wanted to eat since the silverette seemed too pissed to even order.

"Kiryu, calm down." Kaname told him, "It's completely harmless."

"Whatever," Zero hissed.

They stayed silent throughout the whole meal, Zero's anger slowly going away. But as soon as it had completely vanished, it came back full force when the waiter came back, slipping his number into Kaname's jacket pocket.

Zero stood up and marched away, ignoring Kaname's calls to come back, "_Damn it, Kaname's not even interested in the guy so why the hell am I so angry! I just…hate people…looking at him like…he's a buffet-all-you-can-eat meal!"_

"Excuse me?"

Zero looked up to see a pretty little waitress with colorful drinks in her hands, "You look like you need a drink."

The silverette graced the waitress with a small smile and nodded, "Yeah thanks." He took one before pausing, "Actually, can I have two?"

"Of course!" The waitress nodded and let him take another, "It's on me."

Zero blinked, "Oh thank you…"

He quickly downed both of the drinks and they tasted really good so he went back for a few more, but what he didn't know was that he was drinking Margaritas.

Alcohol.

You can imagine he was dead drunk when Kaname found him. He giggled slightly as he approached the brunette, staggering and nearly tripping several times over his own feet.

**xox**

Kaname frowned as he caught Zero before he face-planted into the ground, "Kiryu…are you drunk?" This vastly disturbed the brunette vampire, as Zero was not yet the age to be drinking alcohol. He could smell the alcohol in the silverette's breath and wondered how much the younger had.

"Of course I'm not," he slurred, "I'm too young to drink."

The pureblood sighed, "What did you do after you stormed away from me?"

"I drank…hic…juice…"

Kaname sighed again and rubbed his temples, wondering how Zero could mistake _alcohol_ for juice. He put his arm behind Zero's back and the male's arm over his shoulder before walking them back to the hotel. It took Kaname a good ten minutes to walk back with Zero leaning on him and stumbling, but it worked out somehow.

"Kiryu, don't fall asleep…" Kaname grunted as he shifted, trying to keep Zero up, "Fall asleep once we get to your bedroom."

Zero mumbled a little bit, "Mm…I'm tired…"

"I know you're tired but you don't want me to carry you to your bedroom do you?"

"That would be nice…" Zero slurred.

Kaname sighed before mumbling under his breath, "What alcohol does to you…"

The pureblood dragged the younger vampire towards the hotel room, sticking his hands in Zero's pockets, trying to find the keys. Zero yelped and giggled, "Naughty, naughty- touching me like that. Do you want to touch more of me Kuran?"

"I thought you were tired," Kaname sighed as he finally found the keys and quickly opened the door.

"Not anymore~" Zero slumped over Kaname, smiling, "Eager to get into the bedroom are we?"

"No…" Kaname replied, but as he dragged the silverette into the room, Zero had somehow in his drunken state, managed to get a hold of the doorknob, shut and lock it. "Kiryu-"

Zero leaned over Kaname, kissing him on the lips, giggling, "Kuran- no, we're a bit close to be addressing each other by our last names aren't we?" Zero slurred, "Ka-na-me?"

Kaname groaned, trying to push Zero off of him, "Kiryu-oh…" The pureblood bit his tongue to silence his voice as Zero started grind against him.

"Call me by my first name," Zero slurred, sucking on Kaname's neck, searching for a sensitive spot, "Ka-na-me."

Zero started walking forward, pushing Kaname towards the bed. He unbuttoned his pants and Kaname's, sliding them down he giggled, "So you wear boxers…" He yelped and giggled again when they both tripped over the edge of the bed, sprawled across the clean hotel sheets.

"Kiryu—"

Zero tsked, though he was still smiling, and started taking Kaname's shirt off, "My first name…" He sang out and nibbled on the pureblood's neck, making his way down, sucking, nibbling, and kissing.

"Kiryu, stop." Kaname said sternly, though his hands were holding Zero in place.

The silverette noticed and giggled, "You don't _really _want me to stop do you?" He asked as his hands slid up and down Kaname's bare thighs.

"I do-"

"No you don't~ If you did you'd have thrown me off of you by now~" Zero said in a sing-songy voice and quickly slid Kaname's boxers off. The pureblood hissed as cold air hit his erection, "Little Kaname looks like it wants to be relieved."

"Wha-oh FUCK!" Kaname cursed as Zero dragged his tongue and fangs slowly across his erection. His fingers gripped silver locks tightly as Zero's hand came to cup his sack. He clenched his eyes tightly closed as Zero began bobbing his head up and down, deep-throating him.

Kaname's jaw went slack as Zero's tongue dipped into the slit and he started thrusting his hips desperately into the beautiful male's warm, wet mouth, "Ah- shit…ooh…"

Zero gagged and let Kaname's erection slide out of his mouth, giggling as the brunette muttered curses, "I was so _damn_ close Kiryu-"

The silverette ignored the brunette and took one of Kaname's balls into his mouth, sucking on it hungrily as he fisted the brunette's cock in his hand.

"Ah- yeees," Kaname drawled in bliss and pleasure, feeling like he was going to cum any second now. The world started to spin and he was certain that he seeing stars. "More-_god-_ harder."

Zero giggled, sending vibrations through Kaname's body and moved his hand up and down faster, squeezing the pureblood's cock in his hand. The silverette let go of Kaname's sack, a soft pop barely making its way to the vampire's ears. Zero then took Kaname whole into his mouth, fondling Kaname's sack.

"Oh-Go-" Kaname gasped as white clouded his vision, spilling his seed into Zero's mouth. Zero sucked on Kaname hungrily, milking the pureblood dry, drinking almost every last drop.

"Mm, Kaname," Zero slurred, some of the cum leaking out of his mouth, "You taste good." His hands slipped lower down to Kaname's ass, and the pureblood immediately knew what Zero wanted to do. Kaname's eyes flashed red and Zero could barely register that he was being flipped over.

"I won't stand to be the bottom…you're a naughty boy…_Zero_." The pureblood said in a dangerously low voice, hissing when Zero jerked his hips up.

"Punish me then~" Zero smiled devilishly, "Kaname~"

"With pleasure," Kaname answered with no hesitation in his voice and lifted Zero with ease, making the silverette yelp in surprise. He roughly flipped Zero around so that the silverette's back was facing him and pushed him right up against the headboard. He spanked Zero several times, making the silverette roll his hips back in pain and pleasure. The sounds that the silverette was making went straight down his spine to his member, making him hard all over again. Fuck Yuki. Fuck duty. Fuck humiliation. Fuck everything; he wanted the slutty silverette begging for release on all fours- _**now**__. _

"Kaname, Kaname, Kaname-ahhh" Zero whimpered as the pureblood began to drag his long nails down his abs.

The blood that filled the room made Zero and Kaname groan simultaneously, their eyes turned red and their fangs sharpened. Kaname gripped Zero's chin and roughly turned his head towards his own before kissing him desperately, needing to feel those soft lips and warm tongue against his own. Their fangs clashed and cut each other's skin, the scent of blood now heavy in the air.

Zero let out a surprised sound as Kaname forced three of his fingers into his mouth, "Suck," the pureblood commanded.

The silverette complied, sucking on Kaname's fingers slowly, almost as if he was teasing the brunette. Zero coated the fingers in his mouth with saliva, and once Kaname deemed it enough, he took his fingers out of Zero's sexy mouth and slammed all three into the silverette's ass.

"FUCK!" Zero screamed, tears building in his eyes from the pain. "Fuck-" He chanted over and over again, holding the headboard in a death grip.

Kaname slowly moved his fingers in and out of Zero's ass, whispering sweet-nothings and calming words into the silverette's ears, "Sssh..." His nails scraped against Zero's walls experimentally, earning a few gasps and moans from the younger vampire. He thrust his fingers in deeper and in several different angles, trying to find that one spot that would drive him insane.

"OH YES! THERE!" Zero whimpered as a wave of pleasure shook his body and made his jaw slack, "Kaname again again- yeees-!"

"Fuck- Zero-" Kaname panted as he slammed his fingers into Zero's prostate, his eyes rolling back as he imagined what it would feel like with Zero squeezing around him and not just his fingers.

Zero arched his back, thrusting his hips back against the brunette's, spreading his legs wider so that he could feel more. His hands went down to his member, and he began to jerk himself off, "Haaah..." he panted, feeling really close to cumming.

The pureblood picked up the rhythm of his fingers, thrusting harder into the silverette until he felt Zero's walls clench down on him, and stopped, "Fuck you Kaname- fuck- you're a bitch. You're such a bitch. Don't you dare stop now or fuck it I'll tie you to this fucking bed and use you like I use my vibrator-"

Kaname chuckled and kissed Zero, effectively shutting him up, "Who said I was going anywhere huh?" The pureblood spit in his hands and smeared it all over his member, before flipping Zero over onto his back, apologizing softly when the silverette's head hit the wall and slowly inched his way into Zero's ass. "Fuuuuck" They both hissed out simultaneously.

Kaname pulled Zero onto his lap, and the silverette wrapped his legs tightly around the pureblood's waist, "You're so tight-" Kaname hissed as he began slowly thrusting in and out of the younger male's waist, barely able to move with how tightly Zero was clenching down on him, nearly holding him in place.

Zero whimpered and leaned his head down to kiss Kaname, moaning when their tongues brushed against each other, and after a while, he started to relax. He began moving his hips, trying to tell the pureblood with his actions to go faster.

The pureblood complied, much to Zero's pleasure, and began moving at a slightly faster pace.

"Mm," Zero complained, "That's not faster- go faster Kaname- ah-"

The pureblood turned Zero around again so that his ass was in the air and his face was pressed against the bed. He slammed into Zero and began thrusting into him at an almost inhuman pace. Zero's jaw was slack as Kaname managed to hit his prostate each and every time, sending waves of pleasure throughout his whole body. His eyes rolled back as his moans escalated, rolling his hips back to meet Kaname's strong thrusts. As they got close to completion, Kaname thrust even faster than his already inhuman speed. Zero's legs were wrapped around Kaname's back, and his arms were sprawled out behind him, gripping the headboard that he vaguely realized his head was hitting. The pleasure of Kaname fucking him through the mattress cancelled out all the pain he was feeling.

Kaname put his hands at either side of Zero's head, his eyes never leaving Zero's face, "Zero, _oh_, Zero."

"Kaname," Zero whimpered, "I'm so close- so close-"

"Cum-" Kaname told him and he began to fist Zero's cock roughly in his hands. The silverette's walls were clenching so tightly around him, trying to pull him in deeper-

"KANAME!" Zero finally screamed as he ejected his seed all over his and Kaname's stomach. The silverette convulsed, his eyes hazed over, and his head lolled to the side as the pureblood continued pounding into him roughly until he too, finally came. He gave one last strong thrust as his member twitched and spilled his semen into Zero.

The pureblood collapsed onto the younger vampire, though he was careful enough to shift most of his weight onto his elbow. They were both a panting, sweaty, sticky mess, but they didn't seem to care or notice as they began kissing each other quite sloppily.

"Another round?" Zero asked as he wrapped his arms around Kaname's neck, their chests bumping into each other's.

Kaname chuckled and flipped them over so Zero was sprawled over his chest, "Later. You look like you're about to fall asleep."

"You do too," Zero said, smiling fondly at the older male, though Kaname couldn't tell if it was the alcohol, "Good night kiss?"

Kaname chuckled again and kissed Zero on the forehead, "Good night Zero."

"Good night Kaname."

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**


	12. Water Park Fun

**A/N: Holy, long chapters! LOL I can tell you right now that this is _about _5,573 words according to fanfiction , which is about two-three thousand more than normal! Awesome right? I'm sure you guys are very happy! I'm actually supposed to be doing homework now, but I love you guys too much. Don't worry though, I'm going to get started on it right after this.**

**Water Park**

"Mm…" Zero groaned as his phone vibrated at the side of the bed, waking him. He moved his hand to several places, patting various areas, searching for his phone before finally finding it on the side table.

The silverette flipped open his cell phone and glanced at the screen- _DarkWine79 has messaged you_-

He swiftly pressed 'accept' and scanned the message: _Good afternoon Lilac, at least, I'm pretty sure it's afternoon where you are, how are you?_

Zero rolled over and fell off of the bed onto his suitcase, "FU-OW!"

The male groaned and glanced at the clock; "It's afternoon already?" He quickly pressed a few of the keys, replying, '_I just woke up, had no idea it was the afternoon, my whole body is freaking sore- though that may be because I fell off the bed onto my suitcase- and I have this extreme headache. I also dreamt that I had hot sex with tall, handsome brunette while I was drunk. Don't you dare laugh.'_

There was a small ting a few seconds later, '_What an adventure you've had in the span of several minutes.'_

Zero rolled his eyes, the man was definitely laughing. He pushed himself up, groaning when pain traveled from the lower part of his back all the way up his spine and to his head. "What the hell did I do last night…"

He vaguely remembered that he went out to eat with Kaname and got angry at a waiter for flirting with said man, but after that it was a blur. The silverette stood up and limped to the bathroom- "That dream…couldn't have been real right?"

He opened the bathroom door only to see Kuran Kaname in nothing but a towel, deliciously wet from just taking a shower. To put it simply, he was pure eye-candy, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU- PUT SOME CLOTHES ON YOU IDIOT!"

Zero screamed and made a one-eighty, his face as red as an apple. "What are you laughing at!" He snapped when he heard Kaname chuckling behind him.

"No, it's just that you seemed so eager to take my clothes off last night…"

The silverette's jaw went slack and his phone slipped from his hands, falling onto the bathroom floor, "So…me being drunk, forcing myself onto you, and then…that…wasn't a dream?"

There was a short silence as the sounds of clothes rustling filled the bathroom, "It wasn't a dream."

Zero paled and one of his hands went up to his mouth, "I- oh crap…Kuran I-"

"Do you regret it?" Kaname turned Zero around and tilted the silverette's chin up so he could have a good look at his face. "Well?" He asked when Zero stayed silent.

"I-I didn't hate it…or…regret…but Yuki and-…you…this is really…" Zero stuttered, his face turning redder and redder by the second.

Kaname sighed, "It only happened once. Don't worry about Yuki, she won't know." He blinked at Zero's slightly crestfallen expression, "What is it?"

"It's…it's nothing." Zero sighed. _I want to do it again. I want to feel his body-warmth again. I can't help that worry that Yuki will catch on- she caught onto my feelings for Kaname after all…It's all so complicated…_

The pureblood frowned at Zero's troubled expression, looking up when he heard a familiar soft knock on Zero's door and Yuki's voice, "_Zero? Are you in here? I can't find Kaname…" _

"Crap Yuki!" Zero jumped.

Kaname smirked slightly, "You might want to put on some clothes before you go to greet her."

The silverette blinked and looked down at himself, discovering that he was stark naked, "Why didn't you tell me?" He hissed as he grabbed the towel Kaname was using, wrapping it around himself.

"You don't look bad with nothing on," Kaname replied casually.

Zero blushed, '_Is he saying I'm attractive?'_"Whatever."

"_Zero?_" Yuki's voice came from behind the door again.

"I'm coming!" He said, "Just let me get some pants on!"

There was a pause before she replied, "_Okay_."

The silverette turned his back on the pureblood slightly surprised when strong arms came from behind him, wrapping around his waist, "We're a bit close to be calling each other by our surnames aren't we?" Kaname whispered into his ear.

Zero's blush grew darker at feeling the pureblood's hot breath in his ear and on a portion of his neck; he vaguely remembered saying something like that to Kaname the other night, "You _want _me to call you by your first name?"

"If you wish."

"Kaname…" Zero mumbled under his breath, letting the name roll off of his tongue. "Let me go, I need to put on pants before Yuki throws a fit."

The pureblood's mouth twitched into a smile at hearing the hunter say his name sober, and let the silverette go to search for some decent clothing. He blinked when Zero poked his head back into the bathroom, "Don't you dare come out of the bathroom."

"Zero," He said with a slight sigh, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

The ex-human flinched slightly at the sound of Kaname saying his first name before answering, "Sometimes."

The lilac-eyed male quickly exited the bathroom and answered the door, "Sorry, I was trying to find something clean. What is it?"

Yuki had a worried expression on her face, "I can't find Kaname anywhere. You haven't seen him have you?"

"How could I? I just woke up." Zero said with a scowl on his face.

"…I can see that." Yuki said with a sigh, "I wonder where he could have gone."

Zero rubbed the bridge of his nose, pretending to be irritated, "Look, I'll look for him okay?"

"Really?" Yuki smiled. "Oh thank you!"

"Anything else? I really need a shower." Zero told her, just barely preventing himself from blushing at the reason _why_ he needed a shower.

Yuki clapped her hands a little bit, "Oh yes! We're leaving on a bus to the Water Amusement Park!"

Zero raised an eyebrow, "Is it indoors?"

The brunette shook her head, "That's why we're leaving in the evening. Make sure you're ready by 4:45."

"Sure." Zero nodded and waved to Yuki as she went down the hall to the elevator, stating that she'd wait for Kaname in the lobby.

**xox**

"Zero, I can assure you that I didn't leave any marks." Kaname sighed, though amusement flickered in his eyes.

The silverette glared and threw a pillow at him, though it disappointingly missed its target, "There better not be."

"I'm pretty sure I would tell you since Yuki would see it if there were any." Kaname said.

Zero stared at Kaname for a few moments and relented, "Okay fine I believe you. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Kaname replied and went towards the door, "I'm going to get ready and go down to the lobby to let Yuki know I'm okay then."

Zero nodded to the pureblood, "I'll be down in a minute."

"Do you want me to wait for you?"

Zero blinked, slightly surprised that Kaname would even think about waiting for him, and replied, "No need, I'm not a girl."

The pureblood smirked as he stepped out of Zero's hotel room, "I think last night clearly showed me that."

Zero flushed a bright red, "Just get out of here you pervert!"

The silverette huffed when Kaname chuckled and shut the door before he had a chance to throw anything at him. He moved to his suitcase to search for his swimming trunks as he got out his cell-phone, texting to Dark-

_Never mind, having sex with tall, handsome brunette wasn't a dream._

He frowned when there was no immediate response, because the male always responded immediately, but Zero brushed it off as Dark having a life other than tetxing back and forth with a teenager. He sighed and once he finally found his swimming trunks, went to the bathroom to go change into them. Zero slid into pale blue swim shorts and a black tank top. His tank top was plain, though his shorts had a dark blue skull on the left side.

Zero went back to his suitcase to search for his slippers, towel, and an extra set of clothes. He glanced at his cell-phone only to see that Dark _still_ hadn't replied yet. Frowning, he looked at the clock before he made his way to the door, down the hall, and towards the elevators. The silverette was grateful to see that nobody was occupying the elevator when he got on, and thought about Kaname.

'_Kaname doesn't seem to be grossed out or disturbed that we…had…sex.' _Zero flushed a bright red. '_He freely flirts with me and teases me with sexual undertones- Maybe…he likes me?' _The silverette fidgeted at the thought, hoping that he would have a chance with the pureblood, but then there was Yuki-

_Ding!_

Zero gasped softly in surprise; he was so deep in thought that he forgot where he was for a moment. He quickly got over his shock, mentally scolding himself for losing his touch. He swore as he walked out of the elevator, that this vacation was making him rusty on his skills.

"Zero, finally!" Yuki cried out with puffed cheeks. "I said 4:45! Even Kaname, who had less time to get ready came before you!"

Zero rolled his eyes, "Relax, I'm only five minutes off. The bus isn't even here yet." His lilac eyes looked around, "When _is _the bus coming?"

"Oh, at 5:15." The girl replied.

The silverette muttered curses in complaint, "What are we going to do before then?"

"Well, you just woke up didn't you?" Yuki asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

As if on cue, Zero's stomach growled, "…a little."

Kaname chuckled, "I'm a bit hungry myself."

"Great!" Kaien cheered, "Let's go eat while we wait for the bus then? There's a lunch cart just over there!"

Zero glanced at the pureblood, briefly eying the man's black swim shorts and legs, "Are you alright with eating over there Kaname?"

"Ye-"

"'Kaname'?" Yuki interrupted. "You're on a first name basis?"

"Y-yeah," Zero nodded, flushing a light pink, praying to God that Yuki wouldn't notice.

She didn't, at least, she didn't show signs to say she did and just nodded, "That's great! You're getting along like best friends now huh?"

Zero gave Yuki a flat look, "I wouldn't say that…" _We skipped that stage and went to sex first._

"You three!" Kaien called, making the trio look up towards his voice, "Hurry up now, there's people behind me!"

"We're coming!" Yuki shouted, dragging the two boys towards the lunch cart.

**xox**

The bus came right on the dot at 5:15. It was only a 45-minute drive, but it truly felt longer than that. It was probably because of all the things there were to see. There were a lot of buildings, but there was a lot of nature too. There were two mountain ranges on either side, and thankfully, today, there was no clouds covering the tops of the mountains. It made for beautiful pictures, even when Zero only had the camera on his phone to take it.

The silverette sent the pictures to Dark before putting his phone into his backpack, hoping that Kaien wouldn't make any assumptions and go telling the world that he had a 'girlfriend'. He sighed and put his head on the window, staring at Kaname's reflection. He was actually sitting _behind_ said brunette due to Yuki wanting to sit next to the pureblood.

He blinked when a huge water slide came into view, excitement pumping through him at the thought of the adrenaline rush he'd get from one of those.

"Look, guys! The water park is over there!" Yuki squealed.

Zero rolled his eyes at her childishness, though he knew he was just as excited as she was, "I bet you wouldn't last on the 'adult' rides."

Yuki puffed her cheeks and twirled around so she was looking at Zero, "I will!"

"Ten dollars you won't make it," Zero smirked.

"Deal!" She said and plopped back into her seat once Kaien told her to sit before she flew forward if the bus had to break suddenly.

The bus drove towards the exit with the sign 'Water Park' next to it, and soon, the amusement park came into view.

"Wow!" Yuki said in awe, "Let's go on that one!"

Zero snickered, "I'm so going to win this bet fast."

"Yuki's not that weak Zero." Kaname said calmly as if he was defending her, though Zero could definitely hear the amusement in his voice.

Zero slouched over Kaname's and Yuki's seats, and looked at the pureblood, raising his eyebrow, "You want to bet too?"

"No thank you." Kaname replied with a small smirk on his face.

"Darn, and I would have gotten more money too." The silverette said, feigning disappointment.

Kaname lifted his head a little and Zero leaned down so the pureblood could whisper into his ear, "Who said I was going to bet that Yuki would survive those rides?"

Zero snickered before going back to his seat.

Yuki huffed, and the four grabbed their belongings before filing off of the bus. Luckily, they were sitting in the front so they didn't have to wait for everyone to get off. The brunette girl jogged over to the map of the park that was off to the side of the admission booths, "Which one should we go on first?"

Zero pulled out his wallet, giving his money to the clerk, "The one that's not as scary so the bet gets dragged out a little longer." He chuckled when Yuki whined and moved to the side so that Kaien and Kaname could pay for Yuki's and their pass.

The silverette put the pass between his lips and walked over to drag Yuki over to the gates. "We should go on one that all of us can go on at the same time."

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Yuki nodded in agreement.

After Kaien and Kaname came up to them and passed Yuki her admission pass, they opened their bags for bag inspection before being allowed into the park. Yuki skipped up the small incline and into the gift shop, which everybody had to go through in order to get into the place.

"Do you want anything from here Yuki?" Kaname asked and Zero rolled his eyes, muttering something about him spoiling her too much. "Don't you spoil her too Zero?"

"Not as much as you do." Zero said and put his hands on Yuki's shoulders, walking her out of the gift shop, "Besides, didn't she buy enough clothes already?"

Kaname shrugged, blinking when Zero paused and followed the silverette's line of vision only to see a booth that had all sorts of pictures of people on rides. "Maybe we'll get our picture taken on one of the rides."

Zero smiled a little bit, "Yeah, maybe."

Yuki turned around, taking both of their hands and began pulling them to the left, "Come on, let's go put our stuff in the lockers!"

Zero pulled his tank top as they approached the lockers, earning looks from girls, guys, _and _Kaname. He stuffed his things into his locker before noticing that Kaname was staring at him with his mouth a bit open, the silverette smirked and sauntered over to the brunette boldly, since Yuki's locker wasn't near theirs, "See something you like?" He put his finger under Kaname's jaw and closed it, "You'll catch flies."

He yelped when he felt Kaname's arm over his shoulders, not having enough time to react when the pureblood bent down to kiss his cheek, "Don't do anything to make me jump you and take you in front of the crowd."

Zero blushed and pushed Kaname away, shutting his locker. He tried to hold his stares back when Kaname took his shirt off too, revealing his nicely toned body. The silverette glared at the girls that were drooling after the brunette and hit Kaname in the shoulder, "Do your swim shorts have to ride that low?"

"Don't you like it?"

"Shut up, I don't." _No, that's a lie, I do, and I'd love it even more if they weren't there-_The silverette bit back a sigh of disappointment when Kaname pulled his shorts up and tightened the waistband so it stayed there. "Thanks."

"Guys! Come on, let's go!"

Kaname and Zero turned towards Yuki's voice, "We're coming!"

The silverette picked up Kaname's things, putting them quickly into the pureblood's locker, and closed it before dragging the brunette out of the locker room.

**xox**

It had been an hour since they started, and they already went on around four rides. The lines were all long, and they went on two of them twice. They were all having a blast, Yuki was too, and Zero had to give her credit for not freaking out yet. Currently, they were dragging tubes up a steep climb towards another ride. The tube held two people, and it was decided by rock-paper-scissors that Zero would go down with Kaname, and Yuki would go down with Kaien.

"Which one should we go on?" Zero asked as he looked at the three slides they could go down on.

"Well, there's a full open slide, a covered slide, and a half open, half covered slide," Kaname mused out loud, remembering what he saw from when they were at the bottom, waiting for a tube. He turned to Yuki and Kaien, "Which slide do you want?"

Yuki breathed heavily, clearly tired from the climb up, "I-I want to g-go on the fully open one." She panted. "How are you guys not tired!"

Zero rolled his eyes, "You need to exercise more." He turned to the pureblood, "Let's go on the fully covered one then."

Kaname nodded and picked up the tube, walking over to the dark slide before placing it in the water. He held the tube steady as Zero waded around it and sat inside. The brunette carefully got in as well, putting his legs under Zero's arms as instructed.

"You can go now," the lifeguard nodded as he went to help Yuki and Kaien into the slide.

"See you at the bottom!" Zero shouted after Kaname put his hands at either side of the slide, pushing them down into the dark. It wasn't that scary, but it wasn't boring either. The sharp turns and the weight that Kaname and Zero presented made the ride fast and exciting. Zero laughed, unable to contain the excitement building up in his chest, only closing his eyes when buckets of water hit his face. The silverette's eyes turned big and his smile grew when he saw that the slide dropped into a steep dip, "Hell yeah!" he shouted as the tube slid down quickly into the water.

The silverette yelped when the tube suddenly tipped over as it hit the water, throwing both Zero and Kaname into the pool. The lilac-eyed male quickly swam up to the surface, only to see that Kaname was already pushing the tube to the next person in line.

"You seem to have enjoyed that," Kaname remarked, amused.

Zero smiled, "Of course! Can we go again?"

"Well, let's wait for Yuki and Cross to come down first," Kaname replied as he climbed up the stairs, out of the pool.

Zero stared at Kaname's wet body, blushing a little once he caught himself and nodded, "Y-yeah. Where are they anyways?"

Then, as if on cue, Yuki and Kaien came down from the open slide, water splashing all over them as they entered the water. Zero snickered when Yuki cried out that she was stuck in the tube. Kaien got off the object and swam around to help Yuki out when the tube flipped over, "Gya!" the brunette girl yelped. A few seconds later, she popped out of the water, gasping for breath, coughing a bit. "Zero-" she coughed out, "Stop laughing!"

"I-I can't help it!" Zero said holding his stomach, leaning his head on Kaname's shoulder, "You look so-" he started, but couldn't finish as he burst into peals of laughter.

Kaien pushed the tube towards the next person in line as Yuki made her way to Zero, "Let's go on the scariest ride!"

Zero blinked, a wide smile still on his face, "What? What for?"

"So I can laugh at _you_ when you scream like a girl."

The silverette's smile was gone from the first four words, "Oh please, I'm the one that's going to be laughing- _and_ I'll have ten more dollars in my wallet."

"You're on!"

**xox**

So the four made their way back up the stairs, Yuki and Zero going up much more energetically. There were two scary rides at the water park, but since Zero wanted to ride the tube ride again with Kaname, they figured they should ride this one first so they didn't have to climb up again. Kaien would be waiting for them with the tube instead of going on the scary ride with them.

"Have fun!" the adult waved with a big smile on his face, "Don't forget to scream!"

"Coward," Zero muttered, though he was grateful that Kaien had brought the tube up from the previous ride so they didn't have to go back down, wait in line, and come back up again.

_"AAAAAH!" _

Zero, Yuki, and Kaname looked up at the screams that were coming from the ride. It was a large funnel, and to enter it, you'd have to go down a steep drop. After you dropped into the funnel, you'd be catapulted about fifty feet into the air- it looked scary and Yuki voiced it out loud too.

"What? Getting cold feet already?" Zero teased.

"Am not!"

They waited around ten minutes for the next tube. It was pretty big, so both Zero and Kaname had to carry it. It took about twenty minutes though, to wait for their turn. The wait made them anxious, well, it made Zero and Yuki anxious, though nobody could tell what Kaname was thinking. He seemed like his perfectly normal, calm self. It irked Zero, but it was the pureblood's nature to be apathetic. He was surprised that the vampire even showed emotion to him by smirking, chuckling, and the faintest sparkle of amusement that would sparkle in his eyes every once in a while.

It was finally their turn but the warnings that were coming out of the speaker spurred their anxiety on even more. Even so, Yuki and Zero forced it back down before climbing into the raft. Kaname followed soon after, choosing to sit next to Yuki and across of Zero.

"Ready?" The lifeguard asked and when the three nodded, he gave the raft a big push, and slowly they inched their way in a small arch through the tunnel.

"This isn't so bad-" Yuki grinned, suddenly turning into a bigger chatterbox than she normally was, "The drop didn't even look that big either-"

"Yuki-"

"-Why the heck were they screaming for I just don't know and-"

"YUKI!" Zero shouted.

"What?" She asked with big, innocent eyes.

"Shut u-HOLY HELL-" Zero screamed. Yuki's higher scream followed soon after, accompanied by Kaname's soft gasp. Yeah, Kaname's reactions are pretty boring when they're not about sex, love, and crap.

Moving on, they dropped who-knows-how-many-feet, and Zero could have sworn that his heart, lungs, and stomach lurched upwards towards his throat. Yuki was still screaming, though it barely registered when he was thrown off of the raft and up further than what the raft could go –which was around fifty feet.

Zero yelped as the world started turning, and he realized he was flipping over, going full speed ahead towards the bottom of the funnel. His voice was caught in his throat and he couldn't find it in himself to scream the string of colorful curse words currently running through his mind.

"Zero!" the two brunettes shouted worriedly, watching as Zero tumble downwards. Once he calmed down and figured that thrashing wouldn't help with not getting injuries, he was able to slide calmly on his stomach. After his speed slowed considerably, he turned over onto his back and slid down to the pool where the two brunettes were waiting for him.

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked with a horrified look on her face. "You flew up pretty high and fell-…that was scary to watch."

The lifeguard at the end had asked the same thing, and to both people Zero answered that he was fine. "I'm probably just going to get a bruise somewhere, nothing serious."

He rolled his eyes when Yuki gave him a look and swam over to her, "I'm fine. Now hurry up out of here so the next people can ride."

Zero looked back at Kaname when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "You're positive now?"

The silverette's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded, quickly scurrying out of the water.

**xox**

After they went on a few more rides, which included lazing around at the deep end of the wave pool and sleeping in the lazy river, it was nearly time to get back to the tour bus. Yuki and the other three boys shuffled towards the locker rooms before making their way to their respective shower rooms.

Zero stepped into the shower room, putting his extra clothes and towel on the bench. He paused and blinked as he peered into the other room, "What's wrong Zero?"

"No, there's more private showers in the back…" The showers in the back were in cubicles, the ones in the front had no walls covering each shower, and so it was all public and open.

"Well, it's not like we're taking actual showers. We're just going to rinse."

Zero shrugged and went over to the shower a few spaces down from Kaname, "I suppose," he put his hand on the knob and twisted it on, "FUCK!" He shrieked and quickly scrambled to turn it back off.

"What?" Kaien and Kaname blinked as they asked.

Zero turned to them, looking very much like a grumpy wet kitten, "It's fucking freezing."

Kaien grinned, "Oh Zero-rin, it can't be that bad~" The adult sang out as he turned on the water before yelping and turned it back off.

"GYAAAAA! COOOLD!" The three males looked up towards the direction of the women's shower room and sweatdropped. It seemed like Yuki found out that the water was freezing cold too.

Kaname sighed, not even bothering to try to turn on the water to see if he would be lucky and get the hot water. He went over to his bad on the bench, only to be stopped by Zero wrapping his arms around his body, "Zero-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Zero sang out in a teasing voice, "You're not going _anywhere _until that cold water hits you."

The brunette cocked an eyebrow, highly amused and entertained with Zero's personality swing, "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because it's not fair," Zero grunted as he pushed Kaname back towards the showers, "that we all got a taste of the cold, painful, freezing water, and you didn't!"

Kaname chuckled, "Actually it is," he said as he dodged the cold water that promptly hit Zero straight in the face.

The silverette lunged to turn off the water, glaring at the brunette who was definitely smirking at him with his bag in hand, "You're _so _going to get it now!"

"I'd like to see you try," Kaname challenged with a smirk before jogging towards the dressing rooms in the back.

"Come back here!" Zero hollered as he chased the pureblood down right after he grabbed his belongings from the bench.

Kaien blinked, realizing that the two other males must have forgotten that he existed, but shrugged it off and went to change as well.

**xox**

The lilac-eyed male couldn't lie, he was having fun chasing Kaname in circles in the dressing room. Of course, even if he did try to lie, which he would, his bright, lively eyes would give him away. He hadn't had this much fun for as long as he could remember, and Zero had a pretty good memory.

The brunette suddenly went into one of the changing stalls, and Zero snickered inwardly, pretending that he didn't notice. Slowly, he tiptoed towards the stall the pureblood went in, and flung open the curtains, only to find an empty stall. He walked in, brows furrowed in a confused expression.

"Where-," he gasped when he felt lips at his neck –Kaname's lips. He shivered at his soft, gentle growls, automatically bucking his hips back, "K-kaname…"

Zero's eyes fell closed and his mouth opened in an inaudible moan when he felt Kaname's hands reach into his swim shorts, "Kaname…I-" he bit his lip when the brunette started stroking him, "Last night-…a mistake…why…are you?" the silverette stuttered out, his mind so hazed that he couldn't manage to make a complete sentence.

Lilac eyes snapped wide open, and he had to bite his tongue to prevent the loud moan that threatened to escape his lips. Kaname's long fingers were already in his ass, stretching him, "St-stop-" he gasped out as softly as possible, conscious of his surroundings. He hoped that Kaien was out of the dressing rooms by now, and that Yuki was taking her sweet time. He prayed that nobody else was in here with them to hear what they were doing.

"Why should I?" Kaname asked huskily and pressed himself against Zero, "We're both enjoying it."

Zero finally found the strength to put his hands at the brunette's wrists, making him halt his actions, "Yuki is outside and you _love _her and- I didn't think you'd want to continue this-"

"Isn't it just sex? Nobody will have to know," Kaname said casually, leaning his head to kiss Zero's lips, but the silverette wouldn't have it. Zero pushed Kaname away and ran out of the stall, a soft, "Sorry, I don't feel like it anymore," just barely making it to the pureblood's ears.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Yes, Kaname is an _ass_.** **Will he stop being an ass by the time the fanfiction ends? I'm not telling. **


	13. In the Hands of Someone Precious

**A/N PLEASE READ: Okay, so I read _all_ your reviews despite not being able to answer the majority -laughs- and I re-read them too (am I a creep?) So, you guys have _all _convinced me that Zero shouldn't end up with Kaname. No, I'm kidding- or am I? Therefore, I'm editing the story. No, let me rephrase that: I'm rewriting the chapters after this chapter. However, if you guys don't mind anti-climatic-ness and poop then I will not continue to edit. If I do however, the chapters will return late.**

**Please tell me what you think in your reviews. Thank you for your cooperation and please enjoy the chapter!**

**February 28th**

Zero was blatantly avoiding the pureblood, and he would admit it out loud too. He was also avoiding Kaien and Yuki, just not as severely as he was avoiding Kaname. The silverette was beginning to regret falling in love with an ass that he would never be able to have anyways because said ass was in love with a _girl_. He was no competition to Yuki. Why was he so upset when he knew from the start? He had gotten his hopes up too high; he was foolish.

"I'm so stupid…" Zero cursed at himself as he sat in front of his laptop, praying, hoping, and wishing with all his might that Dark would log on.

He waited, and waited, but the other male wasn't logging on. The silverette sighed sadly and was about to turn off his computer so that he could go to sleep. Then, with his impeccable timing, the male that he was waiting for all day had finally logged on.

_**DarkWine79: I'm sorry I'm so late; you're probably about to go to sleep but I just thought I should stop by and say 'hi' (or good night).**_

Zero sighed, reading Dark's message over and over again, as if it would make his whole situation just go away.

_**DarkWine79: Lilac?**_

_**DarkWine79: Are you there?**_

The silverette shook his head and quickly typed his reply.

_**Lilac_Poison00: Sorry, I was spaced out.**_

The teenager didn't even bother to lecture the other male about being late and making him wait so long. Dark had already apologized anyways and he didn't feel like "yelling" at him. He let Dark do all the talking, suddenly not as pained as before, even if the male complaining in a fashion that would irritate him normally.

_**DarkWine79: Am I boring you?  
><strong>_

In other words: "Are you asleep?" Zero smiled a little and typed- "No, I'm still here."

_**DarkWine79: Something happened between you and Mr. tall, handsome brunette.**_

_**Lilac_Poison00: You could say that.**_

Then, before the male could type a reply, Zero entered another message into the instant messaging box: "Could we talk?"

Dark stopped typing, as if considering the question and he replied in an almost careful manner, "_Aren't we talking now?"_

_**Lilac_Poison00: I mean on the phone.**_

Realizing he sounded like a creepy stalker, Zero quickly added, "I think I'd feel a lot more comfortable talking about this subject on the phone." The silverette winced, but he couldn't take the message back; he felt like he was digging his hole deeper than he wanted it.

Dark replied to him, almost like he was laughing at him, replying that he didn't need to explain himself and had given his phone number without a moment's hesitation. Zero dialed the phone number, tapping his finger against his arm nervously as he listened to the rings.

"_Lilac?" _A smooth, young voice came through the receiver.

"Dark," Zero breathed out and suddenly tears started pouring out of his eyes. He sniffed and quickly wiped his tears away in an embarrassed manner, as if the male could _see_ him crying.

"_What's wrong?" _The male asked, concerned, and Zero realized that he sounded tired too, "_What happened?" _

"I-I'm sorry- you sound tired-"

"_Don't mind me, sleep can wait." _Dark reassured him before commanding him to tell him what happened.

"I-I had sex with-"

"_Tall, handsome brunette,_" Dark finished for him, "_I received that text, though I didn't have a chance to reply." _

Zero nodded, even though he knew that his internet friend couldn't see him, "We went to a water amusement park yesterday," he sniffed, "and when we had to leave we went to the dressing room-"

Dark stayed silent, letting the male explain what happened. He made soft comforting noises when Zero started sobbing uncontrollably and once he had calmed down significantly, he asked in a gentle, non-accusing tone, "_Didn't you know that this was going to happen though Lilac?"_

"O-of course," Zero blew his nose, "I don't know why I'm crying-" he rambled, "I know that he's an ass and that he would never truly love me-…but _I_ love him and having sex with him was so good. But it's _not_ just sex; everything about him is amazing and-" The ex-hunter paused, falling silent for a few moments. Dark was silent on the other side of the line too, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"I've fallen in too deep." Zero let out a shaky breath, "Dark I can't- I can't let him go."

"_Then hold him tightly and never let go." _The male said as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.

"B-but my 'sister'…" _I couldn't do that to Yuki…_

"_Lilac, it's either one or the other._" Dark told him sternly and Zero _knew_ that he was right, "_You can be selfish sometimes and this is one of those times where you have to be selfish."_

"They'll hate me," Zero whispered, not able to make his voice any higher and laid himself down on the bed. "They'll never look at me again and I'll be alone- _again_."

"_You shouldn't assume because you don't know how they'll really react. Tall, handsome brunette isn't disgusted that you're attracted to men; he slept with you. The worst he'll do is reject you, but he wouldn't hate you for something as trivial as that."_

"_As for your sister," _Dark continued when Zero didn't say anything, "_she's your sister, do you honestly think that she'll hate you forever?"_

"She's not my real sister," Zero reminded him.

"_Yes, you have mentioned that before. However, you also told me that you have been living with each other under the same roof for a long time; you're already like real siblings."_

Zero sighed, turning off the lamp on the side-table and pulling the bed sheets over his body, "I guess…"

"_Do you want me to hang up? You're in bed already right?" _

"No, keep talking please-" he wanted to listen to Dark's voice more –just a little more.

Dark chuckled, and it sounded vaguely familiar, though Zero couldn't place it, "_What should I talk about?"_

"Anything," Zero shrugged.

So Dark started with a few cute stories of his childhood, going through memories as if it were written in detail in a book in front of him, and he put a few funny stories in there just to make Zero laugh and feel better. The silverette got a kick out of the "embarrassing" stories, laughing so hard that tears started running down his cheeks. He complained to Dark to stop telling him super hilarious stories, exclaiming that his sides were about to explode.

"_-then he said,"_ Dark paused when he heard soft, steady breathing, _"Lilac, are you asleep?"_

Zero didn't answer; he was indeed asleep.

Dark smiled softly to himself before whispering, "_Sweet dreams Zero Kiryu."_

**xox**

**March 3rd**

They had flown out of Hawaii at six in the morning of March 1st, arriving there in the evening at around seven. They were all tired and thankfully, the teachers on Kaien's orders didn't make Kaname, Yuki, or Zero try to catch up on the homework they missed during the two weeks they took off. All they had to do was write an essay about a book and they were through. Yuki and Zero were surprised when none of their classmates glared at them for the "unfairness", but they both had guessed that Kaname had something to do with it.

Who else could it have been?

It was now two days later and it was Girl's day. Yuki was _supposed _to be pretty excited because she was getting a gift from Kaname today, but she was slightly upset. Kaname had confronted Zero about him avoiding them, and after Zero pulled the brunette aside, they seemed to be as close as they were before the water park.

It wasn't as if she didn't want them close; she liked the fact that they weren't constantly at each other's necks trying to kill each other. The problem was that _Zero_ was in _love_ with her prince charming. She loved Kaname very much and loved him ever since childhood. The brunette girl didn't know how long Zero loved Kaname, but she was pretty sure that she fell in love first.

She plastered on a smile when she spotted Zero near the roses and waved at him animatedly. '_Zero can get close to Kaname after he starts dating me. But for now, just for now, they have to hate each other just a little.'_

**xox**

Zero smiled and hummed happily as he cut some of the roses from the bush to put in a vase. The whole thing was cleared between Kaname and him, and the brunette had apologized for making him upset. He also apologized for treating Zero like one of those people that would give their body to someone with no strings attached. The silverette had been severely thrown off when Kaname knelt down in front of him to apologize, and slightly embarrassed when he realized that they had attracted the attention of whoever passed them by.

In that moment, they had decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to have sex with each other, and that they should _just _be friends. Of course, Zero's heart wouldn't agree with his mind, and it still beat wildly when their eyes met. The silverette slowly cut the thorns off of the roses, wondering when would be a good time to confess. He figured that he should just tell Kaname his feelings and accept the rejection. It would be better if it was off his chest and that the brunette knew. After that, if Kaname still wanted to be friends, they could be friends forever, hopefully.

As he started cutting off the thorns of the sixth rose, he spotted Yuki out of the corner of his eye, and looked up, watching her wave at him in an animate way. He chuckled inwardly at her and nodded, "Hey, what's up?"

She skipped over, sitting next to him on the bench and shrugged, "Oh, not much. Kaname said he had a gift to give me today and went to pick it up from some sort of store."

"Another gift?" Zero asked incredulously, "Will he ever stop spoiling you? God knows your room is filled with things that you don't even need-"

"Are you jealous?" Yuki asked, interrupting him mid-sentence.

Zero looked up at her with wide eyes, before narrowing them and shaking his head, "Why would I be jealous for? I don't need someone spoiling me."

The girl moved over closer to Zero, "You love Kaname."

"I don't-"

"Stop denying it!" Yuki shouted, startling Zero, "It's so obvious that you are!"

The silverette stood up, glaring at Yuki's softer brown eyes, and though normally the girl would have flinched, she didn't, meeting him with a glare of her own, "So what if I am?"

Yuki bent down, wrapping her fingers around a rose that still had thorns, before squeezing it, letting the blood run.

Zero's eyes flashed between scarlet red and their normal, beautiful lilac shade at the scent of the red liquid, "What are you doing?" he hissed at her, willing himself to not launch himself at Yuki and just pierce his fangs in her frail neck.

Yuki hopped off of the bench and moved her hair so that she was exposing the right side of her neck, "You're hungry right?"

Zero stepped backwards, "Are you fucking _crazy_?"

The brunette quickly reached out with her bloody hand, putting it over Zero's nose and mouth, ignoring his rhetorical question. The male's eyes widened, and his fangs elongated at the taste of blood seeping into his mouth, he shook his head violently and shoved Yuki away. The girl hit her head against the bench and hissed at the pain. The silverette growled and pulled at his hair, trying to force the monster of a vampire inside of him back into its cage, but it was no use; when Yuki hit her head against the bench, it had started bleeding. The scent of her blood was heavy in the air. Zero's mouth dried and his throat throbbed for blood; he couldn't win the battle with his inner-monster, and eventually he had no strength left to fight, dashing towards Yuki's body, forcing his mouth onto Yuki's neck for blood.

He couldn't stop drinking and he tried to once his vampire had had quite a lot to drink, but Yuki's hands were forcing his head to stay there. Zero's vampire wasn't listening to him, taking Yuki's invitation to keep drinking. Then, just when his vampire was absolutely full and relinquished his hold on Yuki's neck, the silverette felt Kaname's strong aura wash over them like a blanket of ice.

He was definitely _pissed_. Zero didn't think that he'd _ever _felt Kaname this pissed before and truth be told he was literally shaking from how mad the pureblood was.

Suddenly, the lilac-eyed male felt himself being lifted and thrown off of Yuki, nearly through the brick wall at the other side of the courtyard. Zero groaned, lifting himself out of the pile of bricks that had fallen onto him, and looked up only to see Kaname in front of him. He moved so fast that by the time he blinked he was being thrown again, into the forest.

"Gah!" Zero hissed when his back hit the trunk of a tree, unable to react when the pureblood kneed him in the gut. The silverette gasped for air, forgetting how to breathe. He felt Kaname punch him across the face and he winced, hearing his jaw crack. The silverette fell onto the rocky dirt, trying to drag himself up again, when he was kicked like a rag doll. No noise came out of his mouth as his body hit the floor again. His gasped as he felt pain jolt through his body like lightning, and was pretty sure that he had quite a few broken bones.

He waited for the next blow, but it never came, and he figured that this was Kaname's way of telling him to die alone in the cold. Zero whimpered as he tried to move, but found that he couldn't and just laid there, heart thumping nervously at the thought of other vampires smelling his 'tasty' blood. The silverette wondered how long it would take for other vampires to come and start eating him.

Zero coughed, a metallic taste filling his mouth. '_I wonder if I'll die first or if I'll heal faster than that.'_

A few minutes later, though it felt like hours to the silverette, his sense of smell started going. He couldn't smell the dew of the trees, grass, or the smell of the cinnamon rolls that they were cooking at the school. Then, his hearing started going. He couldn't hear the rustling of the leaves, nor the own beat of his heart. Zero could feel his whole body go numb, and he felt cold. It was the coldest he ever felt, but it wasn't from the outside in; it was from the inside out.

His face felt wet, though he wasn't sure if it was sweat, tears, blood, or all of the above. He idly thought that it was most likely all of the above.

Soon, his mind was filled with thoughts of things that he hadn't done yet. '_I didn't do my English homework. I forgot to return someone's pen- whose was it again?'_

They were silly thoughts, but they came to him out of nowhere, '_I hope someone will feed Lily- it's her dinner time and I'm sure the hay is running low. The vase of roses- I spent all day trying to arrange them; I wonder if they'll display them somewhere…'_

_'Dark...I wonder who he is…will he miss me if I die? I am dying right?'_

His vision started to blur, and most of his vision was clouded with dark blots. He could see several figures coming out of the trees, subconsciously knowing that they were vampires. '_I'm going to die. Is this a dream?'_

Zero's eyes slowly closed as the figures approached him hungrily and his whole body relaxed as if he were going to sleep, '_I wonder if those stories about ghosts are true…I wonder if I'll still be able to hold a pencil if I turn into a ghost…I want to write to Kaname…'_

His sense of touch was still there, and he could feel the vibrations of the floor; it was as if something heavy had fallen onto the ground. As soon as the vibrations stopped, he felt someone's footsteps, and then two gentle hands lift him up, carrying him bridal style.

_'Who?'_

He could feel the wind brush past his cheeks, as if they were flying, and the hands carrying him tighten their grip, but after that, he couldn't feel anything. His conscious slowly faded to nothing, and he was sure that he had died.

He felt oddly at peace even though he was basically killed by the love of his life, because he wasn't alone, the mysterious person that was carrying him was there for him, and that made him happy.

**xox  
><strong>

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Oh my gosh, I think I just made half of the world hate on Kaname and Yuki forever. What in the world should I do? I think Kaname had a realistic and reasonable reaction though; what would you guys do if you saw someone precious to you getting eaten alive by another precious person? I'm sure the lot of you would feel betrayed beyond words. (Did I just stand up for Kaname? Yes, I think I did.)**

**Anyways, like I said before the chapter began, please review and tell me if you would like the original, unedited chapters, or the edited. (I forgot to mention: the edited version doesn't have a sequel.)**


	14. Meeting Him

**A/N: So, I don't think anyone realized what I meant by "editing". I did end up editing considering the path that everyone wanted me to go was- "Make Kaname SUFFER. BADLY." In the original he actually got away with it and Zero actually didn't mind that he almost got _killed_by him. This is what I thought wasn't satisfying to me- so I changed it. It doesn't mean that I completely changed chapters 1-13. I think people misunderstood me here, sorry. I also changed a few other things in the chapters to come just to make it more interesting. So far, the chapters might come on schedule, but we'll just have to see! I used some parts of the original chapters to save time. I'll upload the original chapters 14 and up later if you guys are curious.**

**Dark's identity revealed! Some of you guys actually got the answer right, I'm surprised. I found your guesses highly amusing- and congrats on those who guessed it!**

**March 9th**

It wasn't very bright, but the smell of fresh flowers that tingled his nose was starting to irritate him, and it wasn't going away. He had a feeling he needed to sneeze too.

"_Achoo!" _Groggily, he opened his eyes, blinking a few moments to get rid of the blur. Dark, violet fabric covered the ceiling, falling to the floor. It took him a few moments to realize that it was the canopy of a bed. He ran his hands down the blankets that covered him, relishing in the feeling of the expensive silk. Tears ran down his eyes as soon as the memories from the night he was left to die flooded his mind, "I didn't think you could still feel sad after you died..." _Unless I'm actually in hell…but does hell have heavenly comfortable beds like this?_

His eyes widened and he let out a strangled gasp when a face came into his line of vision. He was quickly able to process that it was a girl's face. She had a baby face, wide eyes, and wild short hair; he had a feeling that she was possibly more of a handful than Yuki was. He sunk himself further into the mattress as she drew her face closer with a wide grin, "Well you're not dead yet pretty boy!"

Zero blinked, yelping when he was forcibly pulled out of bed and dragged around the huge, expensive looking bedroom. His hands quickly flew up when several articles of clothes came flying at him, unable to react when the girl started pushing him towards a door at the far end of the room, "Um…do you mind telling me where I am and…"

The girl shook her head, locks flying all over the place, "Get dressed first! C'mon! Hurry up!"

Zero looked at the door and back at the shorter girl, "Um…this is the bathroom?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "No, it's the door to happiness- of course it's the door to the bathroom!"

The silverette narrowed his lilac-eyes and glared at the girl, but she just grinned and went on, "Oh, but it _could_ be the door to happiness too. You know how you _boys_ use the bathroom for touching themselves, jerking themselves off-"

Zero's face turned red as she started listing every perverted thing a person could do inside a bathroom, and finally just turned on his heel, heading into the bathroom, unable to listen to the girl any longer. After he locked the bathroom door shut, he heard the girl laughing her head off, saying something about his 'innocence'.

He huffed before stripping the pajamas off, idly wondering who changed his clothes as he put on the ones the girl provided him. '_I should be grateful that it's just Yuki that I have to deal with…and not this girl…at least I hope I don't have to deal with this girl…that would be hell.'_

The lilac-eyed vampire looked at himself in the mirror, frowning at the frills that lined the button down shirt, and the bow at the top. He supposed that it would have to do, though next time he was definitely choosing his own clothes. He gathered the pajamas in his hands, and threw them into a hamper before reopening the door that led back out to the bedroom.

To his surprise, another girl was standing outside with the short-haired girl. This girl was slightly taller and a bit more introverted. She nodded her head at him and smiled, "Hello."

The hyper girl grinned at his clothes, "Great they fit! In more ways than one!"

Zero glowered at her, eyes widening when she wrapped her hands around his arm and began pulling him towards another door, "Let's go meet master!"

The taller girl followed closely behind them and closed the door softly behind them as they entered the hallway.

"Master?" Zero asked, one eyebrow lifting up to his bangs.

"Yeah!" The girl grinned mischievously, and Zero began to regret opening his mouth, "You know, the master that pounds you into the bed at nig-"

The taller girl that was following them from the back suddenly appeared next to the shorter girl, and put her hands over the girl's mouth, "Sorry," she mumbled and scolded the other girl, glaring at her so she would shut up.

The girls led him through mazes of hallways, and he was sure that he'd get lost in this mansion without a guide. It took a good three minutes to get to their destination, due to the shyer girl reproaching the louder for saying bad words, perverted things, or both. Zero watched them, slightly amused and embarrassed at the words that were coming out of their mouths. He wondered how old they were, and was about to ask when they abruptly stopped at two larger-than-life doors.

The girls knocked on the doors, and they opened. Once they opened fully, Zero noticed that there was nobody there that opened them. He looked quizzically at the girls with him, but they just shrugged, gently pushing him into the room, "Have fun!"

He turned around, about to ask them what they meant, but they were gone and the doors had shut with an ominous click. Zero sighed, "Weird."

The silverette whirled around again, looking at the bedroom with a spark of curiosity. It was _noticeably_ larger than the room he was in, and that was saying something because the bedroom he was sleeping in was _large_.

"Um…hello?" Zero frowned when the only answer he received was silence, and went over to the curtains, throwing them open. He blinked at seeing French doors and wrapped his fingers around the handle, waiting for the click before he pushed it open. The silverette was surprised to see that it was already dark and that the stars were out. It was a beautiful view and he could see more stars than he'd ever thought he'd see in a lifetime. He stepped out onto the patio, watching as his breath turned into condensation.

He rubbed his hands against his arms, venturing down the stairs and into the garden. He could see very clearly due to his vampire sight, though the little candles lighting the walkway helped a lot too. Zero blinked at the fact that most of the flowers, no, all of the flowers in the garden were roses. They were very well kept and the aroma of the flowers that floated in the air was very sweet. It was so peaceful and quiet here, with hints of a stream running in the distance, as well as crickets, and owls. He paused in his walk when the walkway mysteriously ended in front of a large field of grass.

He slowly looked up, narrowing his eyes when he saw a tall dark figure standing in front of a table set. He couldn't see him very well; there was no light anywhere near this person. "Hello?" he greeted hesitantly.

He could vaguely see the figure's arm come up and wave him over, but the figure did not speak.

Zero looked around before he sighed and finally walked over to the person. His eyes slowly widened when he was able to see the person's features a lot more clearly. If he did not have his other senses, he would have thought that it was Kaname with a new haircut. He stopped just a few feet away from the man, looking up at him in slight confusion. His eyes were still wide and his jaw, slack.

The man chuckled, a low, comforting, familiar chuckle that he had heard a few days ago, "Well, how about we have a seat?"

Zero's eyes widened even more and he nodded jerkily, taking the seat that the man wasn't standing next to. '_That voice…'_

As the man took a seat, candles that Zero had not noticed before lit up around them, making the food that was on the table visible. The silverette's mouth watered at the sight of all the delicious food, and his stomach growled. He flushed a pretty rose red when the man across of him chuckled in amusement, "I'll make this introduction brief since you seem hungry. I am Haruka Kuran, Kaname Kuran's father," Haruka put his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together, and smiled at the teenage boy across of him, "But you know me as Dark."

Zero stopped breathing and his face paled. His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish and a bright blush of shame appeared on his face. _'Oh my god, I…for almost two weeks…have been talking about Kaname's sexiness with his own…'_

The silverette put his elbows on the table, covering his face with his palms, "Oh…god…"

Haruka chuckled and picked up his utensils to eat the food in front of him, "Don't worry Lilac, or rather, Zero," he popped a peace of meat into his mouth and chewed, "If I were disturbed I would have told you so in the chat."

"That's not reassuring," Zero told him, voice muffled in his palms. He was so embarrassed that he could die. He even told the man that he had sex with his son and- really, what could be more embarrassing than that?

Haruka smiled at the boy and looked at the teenager's utensils, using his telekinetic powers to lift them and prod Zero. When the silverette finally peeked out of his hands, his smile widened just slightly, "Eat Zero, you're hungry. I'll answer your questions as we eat our meal."

He glanced at the clothes that the silverette was wearing, "Nice clothes by the way."

"I didn't choose them," Zero mumbled and snatched the fork and knife that was still floating in mid-air. He fidgeted his legs underneath the table, nervously looking up at the other male. "Are you the one that saved me then?"

Haruka glanced up at the silverette with contemplating eyes, and Zero fidgeted at the man's silence. Finally, he answered, "No, I had something to do with it, but I did not go myself to keep an eye on you and retrieve you."

Zero blinked in confusion, fork still in his hands, "Then, who-? One of your servants?"

"No, far from it," Haruka smiled, "You'll meet him later so you can thank him then."

"_When _will I meet him?" Zero asked, anxious to meet this person and thank him personally.

The brunette laughed and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin, "No need to be so in a rush young one; there is plenty of time."

"Oh, I see. Thank you very much," Zero thanked him and bowed his head in respect, only looking up when he felt a shoe poke his leg.

"Stop being so formal," Haruka smiled, "Just act like how you did in the chat."

"How the heck am I-" Zero shut his mouth, "I mean-"

The older vampire waved it off, "That's fine, that's what I want. We've been talking so informally for two weeks that I feel uncomfortable that you're acting this way."

Zero nodded, still unsure, and ate some of the salad that was on the side of the meat.

"So, how is sex with my son anyways? You never really got into detail."

The silverette choked, frantically reaching for a cup of water and taking big gulps from it, "Wh-what?" he sputtered.

Haruka smirked, clearly amused, "I'm just poking fun Zero."

Zero puffed out his cheeks, '_Yep…this is definitely Dark, no doubt about it.' _"How do you know how to use a computer anyways?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended, "I do keep up with the times."

"Oh really?" Zero asked with an eyebrow raised, smirking a little.

Haruka nodded, "Of course. It's best to know everything that's happening in the world."

The silverette paused, supposing that was a good explanation, and looked up at the male across of him, "How did you know I was talking about Kaname when I didn't ever say his name- and how do you know my name?"

Haruka smiled, "I knew your name because I knew your father. As soon as I saw your username I knew who you were."

"You knew my dad?" Zero watched as Haruka's eyes became a molten, hot color.

"Yes, I did." Haruka reached over the table to grab one of the cupcakes, "Would you like this old man to tell you a cheesy love story?"

Zero nodded, knowing that he wouldn't think of his father or Haruka any differently than what he thought of them now.

"I grew up with your father, or rather, he grew up with me. I was already pretty old," Haruka took a bite of the cupcake, "Kaname wasn't born yet though. I wasn't married yet either."

The silverette nodded, telling the man to go on with his story.

"We were always attached to each other at the hip, and nobody could tear us apart from each other."

Zero blinked, "Were hunters and…vampires…?"

"Yes, we got along at the time." Haruka nodded going on with the story, "I don't know when I started noticing your father or when I started falling in love with him, but when I did notice the realization fell on me like a stack of bricks. I couldn't get him out of my mind. I already doted on him like crazy, but after I realized my feelings-" the vampire chuckled and sighed, "Even I have to admit I went overboard."

Zero smiled sadly, watching the emotions swim through the other's eyes; he really was in love.

"Eventually I started lusting after him, and I suppose it was the equivalent of human teenage puberty." Haruka placed the empty cupcake wrapper onto his plate, "I started distancing myself away from your father."

"Then what happened?" Zero asked, eyes big with curiosity.

The vampire smirked, "He yelled at me and hit me on the head so many times that even I, being a vampire, was starting to bruise."

The silverette laughed and waved at him so he could continue.

"So, I told him what was wrong, confessed, and prepared for the worst."

"Did he reject you?"

"No," Haruka breathed, watching his breath condensate, float up to the air and vanish, "Like a Saint he accepted me and told me that he would try to fall for me too, because he didn't want me to feel lonely by rejecting my feelings. He gave me a chance and we were happy together, for a time."

"What happened?" Zero asked, frowning.

"I agreed to an arranged marriage."

"Kaname's mother?"

The vampire nodded, "I should not say that it is the biggest regret of my life, because Juuri is truly the most wonderful wife, and Kaname is a successful, wonderful child."

Zero pursed his lips at that, and he said nothing, merely looking down at his plate that was nearly empty.

Haruka stared at Zero, and for a while they said nothing. The silverette did not move in all that time until Haruka spoke, which was who knows how many minutes after, "Do you hate my son for what he did to you?"

Zero stood up suddenly, surprising the brunette just a bit as the tableware clattered, "No!" He exclaimed with flushed cheeks, "I…well, I don't exactly _know_ what I feel for him any more."

Haruka assumed that he meant that he didn't know if he still loved his son or not.

"I'm upset at him; I'm human so it's only natural. But he had every right to be angry at that moment so I most certainly don't _hate _him."

The adult smiled at him, "I see; you're very kind Zero."

"Not at all," Zero smiled wryly.

"You will not change my mind," Haruka said with a chuckle.

"Fine," the lilac male conceded for the moment; they would surely continue this conversation later. "Please continue on with your story."

The brunette smiled and nodded, murmuring to himself to figure out where exactly in the story he was. His eyes lit up when he remembered, continuing on where he left off, "Your father was very upset. He was on the verge of tears when I told him that I was getting married and ran away from me. I caught up with him of course, asking him why he was so sad- and he yelled at me through his sobs that he had fallen in love with me."

"He told me to go away and never see him again," Haruka continued when Zero stayed silent, and cleared his throat, "That was the last time I saw him alive." The vampire looked at Zero dead in the eyes, "I received a letter several years later from him that he wanted to see me again, and hoped that we could be friends. He told me in the letter that he had a wife, and two children, twins. He wanted me to be the godfather, but I discarded the letter into the fire, never replying to him."

"Then, a few years after that," Haruka frowned and his hand curled into a fist, "I heard that he, and the rest of the hunters in his town, were murdered."

_'That night_,' Zero's eyes went down to his hands.

"I could not find his body, or his wife's." Kaname's father glanced at Zero, "I could not find you or your brother either."

Zero nodded, and the male went on, "I was devastated, thinking that you two were killed as well. But then, my son who had frequented visiting Kaien Cross, had told me about the two children that were living with him. I knew right away that you were your father's son, even without your name, and decided to keep watch over you like the godfather I'm supposed to be."

"In other words you were stalking me," Zero teased.

"You could say that," Haruka teased back and chuckled, "That's how I found out your feelings for my son as well. Also, the way you described your crush the second time we talked was definitely a perfect image of Kaname."

Zero flushed a cute pink, "O-oh…I see…so…you're not…disturbed…or…"

Haruka chuckled and shook his head, "Goodness child, of course I'm not disturbed. I was in love with your father. In fact, I would love to see you two get together, and my wife, Juuri also doesn't mind. However, we also support Kaname choosing from a number of eligible ladies. You understand this don't you?"

Zero nodded slowly, "Does this include…"

"Yuki?" Haruka asked, and nodded when Zero nodded, "She is someone Kaname has been interested in after all. He is my child and I would like to see him make a choice that he would never regret. I have enough regrets to last the rest of our family line." He joked.

The vampire smiled, glancing down at Zero's now empty plate, "Now, shall I give you a tour of the mansion?"

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: And the girls have appeared again! Oh, I should have asked earlier about my author's notes but- I hope they don't bother anyone. I don't reply to my reviews, or most of them, so other than Author's Notes I don't have any way to communicate with you guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that all of you will continue reading!**


	15. Children These Days

**A/N: So! I succeeded in submitting the edited version on time twice, but I don't know if I'll make it the third time. We'll just have to see -smiles-! I was very happy with your reactions to Haruka being Dark. I'm glad you were all surprised. I have to admit, I inserted things like- "Zero didn't even notice Kaname was still gone" on purpose to make you think it was Kaname. So, I'm glad I succeeded! I'm _ver_****y happy ****that you all love the two nameless girls. I wasn't going to tell you, but I guess I'll tell you now. The short-haired girl is loosely based on Wookie, and the long haired girl is loosely based on me. (I don't have long hair anymore though -laughs-). This is also why I didn't give them any names, and because the girls shouldn't be focused on _too _much. Their names don't matter to me.**

**Oh yes, and because I don't think I've ever revealed my or Wookie's age, there's a poll on our profile. Please vote for which age you think Wookie and Cookie are!**

**March 10th**

About a week ago, after he had thrown Zero like a ragdoll, Kaname had gone back to the forest to see if the silverette was still alive –on Yuki's request. The brunette vampire couldn't understand _why_ Yuki wanted to make sure he was okay. He _knew_ that Zero would eventually snap and turn into a monster. Why did he let his guard down? He began to _trust _the damned ex-human. He scoffed at himself for his stupidity.

He should have killed him.

Kaname curled his hands into fists as he remembered the bloodstained patch of grass, but no Zero. Where had Zero gone? The most likely answer to that was that other vampires had gotten to the silverette before he did, and had made a meal out of him. His jaw clenched and his heart beat painfully. The pureblood had tried to convince himself that it was because Yuki had been so sad lately, but it wasn't because of Yuki.

It was because of Zero and that's why he was so irritated.

With each passing day Kaname knew that the chances of Zero being alive were getting slimmer, and slimmer. The way he felt, it was as if someone had taken his heart and squeezed it. He hated the tightened feel of his chest and he hated that he was _mourning_ for the loss of the one who _dared_ to make a meal out of Yuki.

_'He deserved it_.' Kaname chanted to himself every minute of the day, but it never helped, it only drove him deeper into insanity. Even Yuki's presence could not comfort him, but Yuki would not dare go near him now anyways, because he snapped at every little thing, even her.

He put his hand to his forehead, glaring at the paperwork he had in front of him, wanting it to go up in flames. That feeling of being alone, even though he wasn't literally alone, was eating him up alive. He had thought that he only needed Yuki before, but he was wrong, and he didn't want to admit it. His pride wouldn't let him.

The pureblood stood up and turned to open the windows, aura flaring around him frustratingly. He couldn't even get his work done; his mind was always on the supposedly dead silverette.

Was it guilt he felt?

He growled at the thought, fingers digging into the wood of the window frame, rendering it to splinters. No, it wasn't that, it couldn't have been that! He was Kaname Kuran, and he was always sure of his decisions; he would never feel guilty about any action that he did. The brunette whipped his head around when he heard someone knock on the door, gritting out just barely through his teeth, "_What?"_

The door opened, revealing an always happy Takuma, who still managed to keep a smile on his face despite Kaname's overbearing, frustrated, and irritable aura crashing against him like waves, "There are two girls here saying that they work for your father."

Kaname frowned, his mood settling down just a bit, for now, "What do they want?"

The blonde's smile brightened as the pureblood's mood began to change, the only sign that told that Takuma really was affected by his temper, "They said that they were sent here by your father to retrieve you, and that your father needed to have a word with you."

"Is that all?"

"They didn't say _why _he wanted to have a word with you Kaname-sama." Takuma said with a tilt of his head, immediately knowing what the brunette was actually asking. He had been by Kaname's side for a very long time.

"I see."

Takuma grabbed Kaname's coat from the rack as the brunette strode towards him, helping the pureblood into it. "You'll be gone for a few days then?"

"Possibly," Kaname told him though he warned, "I might return early though."

The blond chuckled, following Kaname out of his office, "Are you going to tell everyone to behave?"

"I always do," he replied in an obvious tone, making the blond smile even brighter. Perhaps this trip to his father's house would do some good for the brunette. Takuma hadn't seen Kaname in a neutral mood since the Kiryu boy died at his hands.

"And Takuma," Kaname glanced over his shoulder at the male, pausing for a few seconds before continuing, "Look after Yuki while I'm gone."

"Of course Kaname-sama."

As they headed down the stairs, the noise and the chatter of the vampires began to soften, eventually turning into silence. They knew that the brunette had been in a bad mood, and so they wouldn't worsen his mood, they often quieted down in his presence, only approaching him if they absolutely had to. Takuma was the only brave soul that would do otherwise.

Kaname eyed every one of them once he got down, feeling sadistically satisfied when he noticed that their frames had all gone rigid, their auras nervous, "I'll be away for an unknown amount of time; if I hear that you all have not behaved…"

Several vampires nodded nervously, though most of them were too scared to even move.

The brunette began walking towards the exit when he suddenly noticed something, "Where's Shiki?"

Rima was the one that answered, her voice soft, "Shiki said he had business somewhere and left earlier."

"Hn," was the only reply Kaname gave, his curiosity on his cousin's whereabouts dimmed. Shiki was old enough to care for himself, and whatever business he had, had absolutely nothing to do with him.

**xox**

Haruka sat at a table in his gardens; it wasn't the same table that he had used the previous night with Zero, but it looked nearly identical to it. He watched as the clouds drifted in the direction the wind lead them, sighing contently as he took a sip out of his warm tea. A small smile on his face made itself known once his keen hearing picked up the sounds of soft, dainty footsteps heading his way. The brunette turned slightly, just enough to get a glance of long brown hair and a beautiful ornate dress.

"How nice of you to join me darling." Haruka greeted his wife, smiling ever so gently at the beautiful woman.

Juuri smiled back, taking the seat across of her husband, "I thought you'd be lonely out here by yourself."

"As expected of my wife, always considerate." Haruka chuckled. His wife was indeed considerate of his feelings, never once getting riled up about how the garden was only filled with roses, Zero's father's favorite flower. Her logic was that the man was dead, and a garden of roses could do nothing to bring him back. She enjoyed the garden as it was without any underlining meaning.

"And my husband, always spouting meaningless flattery." Juuri teased back before thanking a maid, who had just stopped by to serve her tea.

Haruka chuckled, and reassured her that it wasn't at all flattery, but the truth. "Did you really come here to keep me company dearest?"

"How sharp of you," Juuri remarked in a light tone before setting her cup of tea back down onto the table. "No, it's about our son. You called him here yes?"

"I did," Haruka replied smoothly, wondering where she was going with this.

"He nearly murdered the Kiryu boy."

"Yes…"

Juuri narrowed her eyes, "You would support Kaname's and Zero's relationship."

"Don't you?" Haruka asked, flabbergasted.

"That was before and this is _now_."

"What made you change? Is Zero not what you expected?"

Juuri huffed in frustration, shaking her hands in the negative, "No! It's not _Zero_."

Haruka made an 'ah' sound of understanding and bobbed his head up and down twice, "So it's Kaname."

"Yes, Kaname." Juuri sighed, "I want his happiness as much as you do- as his mother that's what I _live_ for. However, it's also a mother's job to see to it that her child does _not _make any mistakes, which he already has done. I don't want to see him go back to Zero and hurt him again-"

"Juuri," Haruka interrupted, a calm smile on his face, "Don't worry so much, I know what I'm doing."

Juuri raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I can assure you, as his father I do have the same sentiments as you."

He watched as his wife's other eyebrow disappeared above her bangs, telling him that she still didn't believe him.

"You wound me wife, that you cannot take my word for it is enough to make me want to cry."

Juuri rolled her eyes, taking a sip out of her tea before saying, "I am a woman and you are a man. Despite being together with you for a number of decades, it is not possible that you would understand my thoughts without first asking."

"Truly?" The brunette male cocked an eyebrow, amused.

"Truly." Juuri said firmly before standing, taking her cup of tea with her; "I will trust you for now, but if something does not go the way I would like it, I will step in."

"I will hold you to that. And Juuri?"

"Yes?"

"Could you keep Zero at bay for a few minutes after Kaname arrives? I don't want either of them to know each other is here until the right moment."

"And how exactly will I _know_ when the right moment is?"

Haruka smiled mysteriously, "A woman's intuition never fails her."

He watched as his wife shook her head before walking away, disappearing behind the French doors that led to the dining hall. He stretched soon after, wincing as he heard a few cracks. "I must be getting old," he muttered to himself.

'_I do hope this will work or Juuri will have my neck. Rido's information seemed to be legit, so I will just have to trust in him for now.' _

Reckoning that his son would be arriving soon, he stood, motioning one of the maids standing on the side to take his teacup. "Thank you."

"Not a problem sir," the maid bowed respectfully. "Your son is coming right sir?"

"Yes."

"Shall we make a small meal for you and your son?"

Haruka tapped his chin thoughtfully before smiling, "No, I don't think we'll need it; just prepare lunch for Juuri, Zero, our guests, and I at the same time as usual."

"Yes, sir."

'_Kaname probably wouldn't have an appetite after I talk with him, and he would definitely be too upset to sit with us civilly at the dining table.' _Haruka mused to himself mentally, rubbing the bridge of his nose sadly as he walked back into the mansion.

**xox**

Kaname was surprised to say the least. The two girls that had worked for his father were the ones that he had met in Hawaii, during their vacation. Did his father send them to keep an eye on them during that time, or was it all a mere coincidence? If his father did indeed send them to keep an eye out then _why _did he send them? He glanced back at the girls that were following him, easily falling into the pace that he set with his vampire speed. They were vampires too it seemed, or at least not human, but the fact that he had not picked up on this fact earlier greatly disturbed him.

"Hmph," Kaname muttered to himself. He had so many questions, but he supposed that the biggest question Kaname wanted answered was: "Why did his father want to meet with him?"

He didn't dislike meeting with his father, but the man rarely called him from school. His father always had treasured education and never disturbed Kaname if he could help it. So normally, his family only bothered him during notable holidays and school holidays. However, it wasn't a holiday, in fact, the clock was ticking towards finals. It must have been really urgent for his father to call him out during this time, Kaname thought as his frown deepened, quickening his pace.

The brunette didn't want to use the limo; it would take far too long to travel by that human invention. The girls didn't seem to mind, nor were they surprised. They noticed quickly that Kaname had sped up, and quickly adjusted their own pace to keep up with him. A minute had not passed before they were able to see the peaks of the grand mansion's rooftops.

It was a beautiful mansion, surrounded by forest for miles, and though it towered over most of the trees, it was anything but intimidating, even on the darkest, gloomiest nights. The architecture was extremely detailed, and you would never get bored if you had to stare at it for hours, because each minute you would find something that you hadn't noticed before.

Kaname appeared before the stairs that lead to the entrance of his family mansion, the dust from the ground flowing around his feet at his sudden appearance. The girls, at this point, were following him no longer, and he assumed that they must have had another task placed upon them once they saw that he had arrived. The brunette sighed, running his hands through his hair. He had a bad feeling, but it wasn't like he could turn away. Placing his hands calmly into his coat pockets, he moved his feet to climb up the stairs, not surprised that the door had opened before he had even reached the top.

He blinked when a young maid bowed politely from a bit behind the large doors. As he arrived at the last few steps he asked curiously, "Where's the old butler?" Usually, a butler, who was also the person who looked after him as a child, would answer the door.

"Oh, he's busy tending to other things young master." The young maid answered politely before holding her hands out, "May I help you with your coat?"

"Yes, thank you," Kaname tilted his head in acknowledgment as he turned, sliding his coat off for the young maid to put away. "Is father in the family room?"

"Oh, no sir," the maid blinked, "He said that he would be waiting for you in the _library_."

"The library?" Kaname asked, confused. Apparently the young maid had worked here long enough, because even she was confused by his father's choice. Normally, his father would meet with him in the family room, not the library. Even the gardens would be a more predictable choice- but the library? "Are you sure that's what he said?"

"I'm very certain sir."

"How strange," Kaname muttered, before telling the maid that he would be fine on his own, and that she could go back to her duties.

The pureblood swiveled in the direction of the library, reminiscing about his childhood days running through these halls as he walked. There were a few things that had caught his eye, such as the new paintings on the walls, and the irises that had been neatly placed into vases. The irises must have been his mother's doing, he concluded, his father loved and adored roses. Not much had changed though; his parents still had wonderful taste in art. They weren't gaudy and over the top, but simple, humble, and pleasing to the eyes. It was still fancy, it wasn't _overly _fancy, but you could tell how expensive and valuable each piece was.

Finally, he arrived at his destination after a few left and right turns. The brunette paused, blinking in surprise at the doors. Did they get smaller, or did _he_ get bigger? Once upon a time, he thought that these doors were so gigantic that they could fit a whale through them, but now they seemed so tiny. Slowly, he wrapped his hand around the doorknob, pushing it open, mouth twitching into a half smile at the loud creak the door emitted. Well, at least _that_was the same.

"Welcome home Kaname."

Said brunette blinked slowly, and even though his father's smile nearly reached his eyes, Kaname had not let a smile grace his face at all. Instead, he bowed politely, "Hello father."

Haruka chuckled, hoisting himself out of the chair that he chose to lounge in. "Now, now Kaname- you should at least act like you're happy to see me. You and your mother," Haruka sighed, but a fond smile remained on his face, "You're both so cruel."

Kaname's eyes followed his father as the older male strode across the room to one of the bookshelves, eyes skimming through the book titles intently, "Father-"

"Oh, look, here it is," Haruka suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Kaname, "You used to love this book as a child, and you were so small then; you could sit on my lap and everything." The brunette looked towards his son before walking over to him, "Have you gotten taller? Soon, you will be taller than me! Perhaps you will reach Rido's hei-"

"Father," Kaname sighed, "don't tell me that you called me down all this way to reminisce."

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"I could be studying." Kaname replied smoothly, keeping his voice leveled and respectful.

"Well, you wouldn't be studying anyways." Haruka remarked lightly, eyes non-accusing, "I heard that you've been too distracted and irritated to get anything done, and all you do all day is glare at the stack of paperwork on your desk. I also heard that you've been placing most of your work on that Ichijou child."

"Where did you hear that?" Kaname asked, his eyes twitching.

"I have my resources." Haruka smiled at Kaname's soft, barely noticeable sigh, before motioning to the lounge chairs, "Now, shall we sit? I'm sure you have many questions for me."

Kaname didn't move, and Haruka sighed, crossing his arms, "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Why am I here?" Kaname asked, narrowing his eyes at his father. "Don't tell me that it's because you missed me or anything ridiculous like that."

Haruka smiled wryly; his son was straight to the point as always. He was still as demanding too, if not more. The older male leaned back, sitting on the arm of the lounge chair. "You always were straight to the point and demanding; you're just as bad as you were when you were born."

Kaname's eyebrow twitched in irritation at that, but he said nothing, waiting for his father to answer his question. A few silent, tense minutes passed before Kaname sighed in irritation, repeating his question, "_Why _am I here?"

"I heard from a little birdie," Haruka started after a short pause, "that you nearly killed a hunter that goes by the name: Zero Kiryu."

"And?" Kaname asked, gritting his teeth at the mention of the hunter's name. His hands were clenched into fists at either side, and his eyes flashed a scarlet red color.

"Did he enrage _that _much that you would lose all reason?" Haruka whispered softly, and despite the distance between them, he knew that his son heard him.

"_He_ nearly _killed_ Yuki," Kaname said angrily, refusing to say Zero's name, "_He_ deserved _it._"

"Did he?"

The young adult narrowed his eyes at his father, demanding some sort of explanation. Of course he deserved to die! That damned hunter nearly killed a defenseless, fragile _girl_. He betrayed the _both_of them by sinking his fangs into her fragile neck and draining her; why wouldn't he deserve to die? What was the point of asking such a question?

"You did the same to Kiryu," Haruka said, "Do you deserve to die?"

Kaname scoffed at his father's logic and spoke, just barely able to remain respectful, "Father, I was doing it for a good reason, _he_ was doing it out of _bloodlust_."

"The path to hell is paved with good intentions," Haruka recited.

"What?"

"Kaname, my child," Haruka smiled, though the smile held no humor whatsoever, "I love you very much, and I want you to make the proper decision, as any parent would. Your mother wants the same. I am not forcing you to go down a path; I am merely stating the _facts, _please remember that."

The male waited for a few minutes to see if his son would say anything here, and when he didn't, began talking again, "What if the Kiryu child was _forced _into bloodlust?"

Kaname suddenly disappeared, reappearing in front of his father with rage clear in his gaze, and threw his father against the wall, pinning him to it, "Don't you _dare_ imply that _Yuki_ would force Zero into a position like that."

In a fraction of a second after, Kaname was forced into a kneeling position in front of his father. Haruka flared his aura, his son getting the full brunt of it. Kaname shivered, only just barely noticeable to the naked eye, "You may be my son Kaname, but I am your father, and you will _listen_ to me. You may be alpha at your school but this is _not_ your school, this is your _home_. Here, you _will_ bow down and respect _me_, am I making myself clear?"

Kaname stayed silent, glaring holes into the ground. His father had yet to relinquish his hold on him, so he continued to remain kneeling on the floor, silently.

_"Am I making myself clear?" _Haruka repeated, emphasizing each and every word.

"_Yes_," Kaname forced out through clenched jaws, intimidated by his father to an extent.

"Good," Haruka released his hold, but Kaname did not get up, and the older male continued, "Yuki loves you very much."

"I know," the younger brunette whispered.

"She would do anything for you, but she would also do anything to _have_ you. She forced _Zero_ into bloodlust." Haruka knelt down, lifting Kaname's chin so he could look him in the eye, "Kaname, I am not saying that you _shouldn't_ marry Yuki, but please choose wisely. I do not want you to have any regrets when making your choice, because it will be for _life_."

Kaname stared at his father, and though it did not seem like he was lying, he could not give in, "I don't believe you father."

"You don't or you _can't_?"

Kaname stood then, keeping his head bowed, eyes looking away from his dad. He turned sharply, making his way to the door, "Is that all father?"

"That's all."

"I'm leaving," Kaname told him briskly, opening the door with a loud creak, and slamming it shut.

Haruka sighed, stood up, leaned his back against the wall, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, "Children these days…"

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: As a hint to what will happen in the next chapter: Kaname will meet Zero. That's all I will say! I hope you enjoyed this chapter- please review! I love reading your reviews. **


	16. Love Is Blind

**A/N: I actually made it! Haha. I had a great time writing this chapter because of the fighting scenes, though sorry if in-denial Kaname is wearing you guys out. It'll end soon, I promise! I'm so happy that everyone submits good reviews to this story- words cannot explain -laughs-. I actually finished watching Lamento BtV (the visual novel). Of course, I don't have it, but I was watching a walkthrough on YT. Ugh, Rai and Konoe are so cute together but- but- Asato! I feel so sorry for him in Rai's route haha...Anyways, I'm getting off track- btw, never try hiking at ten in the morning.**

**Also, somewhere below I say that Zero lived with Haruka and Juuri for a day even though he had been gone a week. The reason is because Zero was asleep for a week and woke up the day before this. Therefore, he only spent a day with them. I hope that clears up the confusion.**  
><strong>xox<strong>

"Can I take it out now?"

"Hm, maybe one more minute."

"Okay!"

Zero smiled and tapped his finger against the table, glancing at the clock every few seconds. Juuri had come to keep him company, even though he was old enough to distract himself. At first, he tried to refuse her company, because he was sure that she was busy, but he just couldn't resist. She had told him that she wasn't in fact busy, and that she wanted to hang around him for a while, if he didn't mind. Of course, he didn't; after only a day of living with Haruka and Juuri, he had grown rather fond of them, like a son to his parents. They were nice people. He blinked out of his thoughts, turning his eyes back towards the clock, waiting for it to pass a minute. Currently, they were baking cakes. There were chefs there to bake, but Zero insisted on doing one himself, and Juuri was a brilliant cook who loved baking, so they both decided to do it together.

"Alright Zero," Juuri smiled, "One minute is up."

Zero grinned, standing up excitedly before shuffling over to the freezer, taking the cake out. Juuri giggled at Zero's liveliness behind a dainty hand, happy that she and her husband had gotten the silverette to open up a little more. She walked over to the teenager, high heels clacking against the white, pristine tile floor of the kitchen.

"It looks delicious!" Juuri commented when she caught a glimpse of the layered chocolate cake.

Zero nodded happily, placing the cake gently onto the counter. He smiled, happy with how their work turned out, "I can't wait till Haruka comes so we can all eat it."

Juuri let out a short sweet laugh, patting Zero on the shoulder, "Oh sweetie, we all know Haruka eats too much sweets, lets just eat it ourselves!"

"Juuri, that's mean," Zero said through his chuckles. "Should we decorate the cake more?"

"What ever for dear?" The brunette woman asked before waving to the cake, "You've already made it so extravagant."

Indeed, it was pretty extravagant: chocolate frosting covered the cake, rose designs lined the edges, and strawberries and raspberries were placed carefully in the middle. It looked absolutely mouthwatering.

"Really?" Zero asked, tilting his head.

Juuri smiled, "I envy the people you live with Zero; you must have delicious dinners every night."

The silverette sweatdropped and shook his head, "It's nothing compared to what you have here."

Suddenly, they heard a slam echo throughout the mansion, causing the two to look up in surprise. Zero's brows furrowed in worry, and he turned his head slowly to look at Juuri, though she didn't seem too worried at all.

The brunette noticed Zero staring and smiled gently, picking up the cake and placing it into the refrigerator, "Let's go check it out."

"Eh?" Zero blinked.

"You're worried right?" Juuri asked rhetorically, wrapper her lithe fingers around Zero's wrist, tugging him gently towards the door.

"Ah, well yes, but," Zero tugged his wrist free of Juuri's gentle hold before standing in front of her, "You should stay behind me just in case."

Kaname's mother laughed, shaking her head, "Zero, you _do _know that I'm a pureblood yes?"

Zero flushed, making the brunette woman laugh a bit harder, "Oh, well, thank goodness chivalry isn't dead _yet._" Juuri smiled brightly as she put her hands on Zero's lower back, pushing him towards the door, "Now, now, lead the way my vampire knight in shining armor!"

"Please don't tease me Juuri-_san_," Zero muttered as he opened the door. Juuri's complaint about the added on suffix for formality fell on deaf ears as Zero's eyes widened at the figure stalking down the hall. He completely froze when the man finally noticed him, slowly coming to a stop. The man's apathetic mask fell completely, nearly mirroring the same expression that the silverette's face had.

"Kaname," Zero finally breathed out in shock.

**xox**

Kaname's eyes widened to the eyes of saucers and his jaw fell slack. His palms, which were previously clenched in irritation, had loosened, and his breathing caught in his throat. There, standing in front of him, was a boy that was supposed to be _dead_; he was supposed to have been eaten alive by level E's, bled to death. Yet here he was, standing as alive as he would ever be. His silver hair had grown a little, bangs reaching below his nose. He looked unharmed and healthy; the silverette looked _normal_.

The brunette teen narrowed his eyes when he felt relief swell in his chest and clenched his jaw tightly, almost growling. '_No, you shouldn't feel relieved. Hate him, despise him, __**kill **__him.'_

In the blink of an eye, he vanished, appearing before Zero in an instant, baring his fangs in pure anger. He told himself that this was for Yuki. He told himself that this was to get rid of the _threat_, the _monster_. But, in reality, he was angry because Zero had not come back to the school even though he was alive. He was angry that Zero had left them in suspense for the whole week, not once writing back to say that he was all right. He was angry that Zero had chosen to stay with his parents in secret. The brunette couldn't admit to that though, he wouldn't. He didn't want to believe in his father either; he didn't want to believe that Zero was the victim.

Kaname watched as Zero reached for a gun that wasn't there, an automatic reaction he supposed, the movements seeming to go in slow motion. He watched as Zero reached behind him to push his mother back into the kitchen, which was possibly a natural reflex to sacrifice himself for others. His eyes narrowed angrily, hearing the sound of Zero shouting something, but not the words. Then, Kaname reached out fully intending on wrapping his fingers around Zero's neck.

Suddenly, there was a blur between him and Zero, and he felt a punch being delivered to his left cheek. It wasn't powerful enough to send him flying, but he skidded back a few feet, nearly falling backwards. Kaname stayed knelt over for a few minutes, wiping the blood that was dripping out of his mouth and lips. He looked up murderously at the culprit, flaring his aura angrily.

"_Shiki_," Kaname growled out lowly. His voice was just barely recognizable. Quickly, he flash stepped towards Shiki. The rustic haired male quickly reached behind him, pushing the silverette away to safety before facing his cousin.

Shiki gritted his teeth as he just barely dodged a blow that could have caused him to receive a concussion, quickly blocking the side kick that Kaname sent flying. Shiki's blue eyes widened and he coughed violently, oxygen leaving his lungs when his cousin kneed him in the stomach, but soon recovered. Quickly, he grabbed Kaname's leg, throwing him to the other side of the hall.

The brunette did a black flip in the air, landing on his feet with the grace of a cat before using his telekinetic powers to throw Shiki against the wall, pinning him there.

Shiki grunted, trying to struggle out of Kaname's hold, even though he knew in the back of his mind that it wouldn't do him any good. He watched his cousin appear before him in a blur, movements so fast that he could barely see them. They both heard Zero scream something, probably something like: "Kaname stop!" but they weren't too sure. What happened after that happened so fast that nobody really fully registered it. All they knew was that Kaname was in a corner on his back, glass, water, and flowers surrounding him. Shiki was also on the ground, released from Kaname's hold; it seemed like he hadn't been hit. Rido was suddenly there, standing over his nephew with the most evil smile on his face.

"Uncle," Kaname growled out lowly, eyes flashing a murderous red.

Rido's smile widened, "_That's _the look."

"Get out of my way!" Kaname barked out, feral, he reached for one of the glass pieces on the ground, aiming to stab his uncle in the leg.

Rido caught his nephew's hand easily, chuckling in amusement, "I'd _love_ to watch you and Senri fight to the death –it was _quite_ entertaining so far," he licked his lips slowly as if to show how amused he was, "But, what _will_ happen is much more…_satisfying_ to my tastes than this, so I'm afraid I can't let you continue beating my son until his body is unrecognizable."

The heterochromatic male smirked when Kaname used his telekinetic powers to launch the glass pieces at him, but he deflected them easily, tsking before he put a finger underneath the teenager's chin, "So weak it's disappointing." The brunette adult lowered himself further so his mouth was near his nephew's ear, "Let's take this outside before Haruka lectures our ears off about damaging more of his property shall we?"

Zero was the first to react after they disappeared using their vampire speed. Quickly, he got up to his feet, running towards the French doors that led outside. His heart thumped loudly in his chest; he was worried. Would it be a fight to the death? Despite what Kaname had done to him, it was a natural reaction, even he might have reacted that way if Kaname had drained Yuki of her blood. Therefore, he didn't think that the brunette deserved to die. His eyes widened when he felt two arms wrap around his body.

As he struggled the arms tightened their hold on him, "Let me go!"

Shiki only tightened his grip in response, dodging the elbow strikes and punches that Zero threw at him, "Please calm down Kiryu-senpai."

"How can I?" Zero shouted anxiously.

"Father won't kill him," Shiki stated monotonously, though by the choice of words it was probably meant to reassure him, "He would not gain anything by murdering his nephew."

"But-!" The silverette still protested, though he was considerably calmer than before.

Shiki exhaled softly, not from irritation, but because he was relieved that he was getting through to Zero somewhat, "Kaname-sama is extremely angry right now. Father's intention is to spar with him until Kaname-sama cools off so that he can talk with him civilly."

Zero frowned, still a bit unsure, "But…"

"Senri is telling the truth."

The two males turned in the direction of the voice, watching as Haruka held out a hand to help up his wife. The male smiled gently at Juuri as his eyes scanned her body, checking for any injuries. When he found none, he turned to Zero and Shiki, looking at them with a reassuring expression, "Everything will definitely be all right."

Lilac eyes turned to the ground, licking his lips nervously.

"Kiryu-senpai," Zero turned to look at the slightly shorter male who had tugged lightly on his sleeve, "If you can't trust in us, then trust in Kaname-sama's power."

"Yeah," Zero sighed and conceded, repeating the words that Haruka had said in his head.

_Everything will definitely be all right._

**xox**

Kaname breathed heavily as he struck again and again at his uncle, but never once did his blows meet his target. Rido smirked pleasurably, enjoying the way Kaname's facial expression distorted with anger every time he dodged an attack easily. They were still on Haruka's land, though they were far away enough from the mansion that they wouldn't damage anything.

"Stop running away!"

Rido barked out a laugh as he skipped backwards into an open field. Teasing his nephew was always fun, "Are you getting tired yet? Hurry, get tired, fall to the ground like the pathetic existence you are!"

The younger male growled, charging at his uncle at full speed. Rido's smirk grew wider and wider as Kaname closed the distance. He watched as the teenager flexed his claws, aiming to kill. But once Kaname was within a meter away, Rido jumped over him, relishing in the murderous intent that his nephew was giving off.

"Good, good," Rido chuckled when he landed back onto the overgrown grass, "But, if that was your best, then you have a long way to go."

Kaname gritted his teeth, eyes flashing red with anger as he bore his fangs at his uncle. He was tired. He had figured out that his uncle was just playing around, waiting until he was too tired to fight back before he attacked. But, by the time he had figured that out, it was already too late. He was already exhausted, there was nothing he could do but play his uncle's game.

Rido grinned sadistically, pearly white fangs glistening in the moonlight, "What a childish threat." He raised his hands, speaking in a mocking tone, "Come."

Brown eyes narrowed, but despite knowing that his uncle was only provoking him, pushing his buttons on purpose, he flash stepped towards the older male. Fine, if Rido wanted him to attack, he would attack. He wouldn't hold back just because they were related. No one would miss Rido anyways; he was a psychopathic sadist that everyone agreed would be better dead.

But suddenly, Kaname's vision faltered, and his head swam. He grunted painfully and gripped his head, halting his attack. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a loud thump. He breathed deeply, coughing when he accidentally inhaled dirt and pollen. What happened? Why did he collapse suddenly? His palms curled into fists when he heard his uncle chuckling above him. He narrowed his eyes in irritation, jaws clenched.

"That was fast," Rido laughed mockingly, "Well, Senri did say that you weren't sleeping well lately, but to collapse in the middle of a fight is just sad. I never even touched you!"

"What the fuck do you want?" Kaname hissed.

"Oya, oya," Rido sang, amused, "How scary, my nephew is using profanity. Well, I think this appearance fits you best; the apathetic nature that you've inherited doesn't suit you."

"Just say it."

"What if I said that I just wanted to tire you out and see you like this?" The male asked, waving his hand at Kaname's body despite knowing that the younger vampire couldn't see the motion.

"Then I'll kill you," the brunette on the ground muttered darkly.

Rido snorted, "Tough words from a person who can't even stand. Fine, I'll tell you, so listen up because I'm not repeating myself."

The heterochromatic male knelt down next to Kaname, grass rustling underneath him, "I absolutely despise young people in love, because what they call love is _not _love. Their definition sickens me; it makes me want to slowly cut open their stomachs and make them watch as I pull out their internal organs."

"What does this have to do with _me_?" Kaname asked, his temper somewhat under control.

"Out of all the young ones in love, you're the worst." Rido replied as he flexed his claws, "But, killing you would be too kind, I think watching your loved one get taken away is _much_ better."

"If you do anything to Yuki, I'll break you one limb at a time."

"Wrong person; I was talking about that hunter."

Abruptly, Kaname started laughing hysterically, and he tilted his head to look up at his uncle with mocking eyes, "Uncle, you must be getting old. How in the _world_ did you arrive at the conclusion that _Kiryu_," he spat out Zero's name like venom, "is my _loved _one?"

"Well, it certainly isn't that Cross girl."

"You who is hated by your son's mother and was engaged to a woman who obviously did not want to be with you, and had multiple bed warmers should not talk about love." Kaname scoffed, "You know nothing."

Brown eyes widened and a soundless gasp of pain escaped when Rido suddenly launched himself onto Kaname, eyes flashing dangerously, lips curled back revealing sharp fangs. Rido wrapped his claws around Kaname's chin, aura flaring angrily; he was pissed, "_Child_, do you think that because that _girl_ needs you, bows at your feet, and heeds your every word is a sign that she _loves _you?"

His grip tightened, "Do you think that just because you are _attracted_ by her blood, aesthetics, and that you care for her means that you'll _love_ her till death do you part?" Before Kaname could utter a word, Rido yanked him up by the collar, "Don't screw with me. That's a _child's crush_. If she saw this side of you, oh caring, sweet, gentleman, rich, handsome, pureblood _prince charming_- what would she do then? Would she love you? What would she do then you worthless piece of trash?"

Rido spat in his face, waiting for Kaname's answer, "Answer me!"

"Of course she would!" Kaname finally shouted back, shocked that his uncle would get so riled up over this subject. It seemed as if the older male wasn't talking to him though, but he was too shocked to voice it.

"Are you sure?" Rido whispered, "Would she really stay with you all the days of your life, even in your darkest days? Would she be able to handle all your _bullshit _when you're pissed because of work? Did she once approach you during the whole week that you couldn't find the hunter- ever?"

She didn't. But she was scared of him because he was so irritated, there was a good reason. He could have hurt her. "She was scared."

"So what? If she truly loved you she would have trusted you enough to get near you, comfort you, _support_ you." Rido let go of Kaname's collar, letting him fall back onto the ground, "And if you truly loved her, you wouldn't be so afraid of hurting her, because you _wouldn't _hurt her. Grow up Kaname, you're not a baby that can pick things up and throw things away as you please."

Kaname couldn't say anything that would prove his uncle wrong. He lied there motionless as he listened to his uncle walk back through the bushes until he could hear him no longer. He blinked slowly as thunder rumbled through the sky. After a few seconds, tiny droplets of water fell to his face, rolling down the bridge of his nose and onto his cheeks before hitting the blades of grass below him.

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: Ah, yes. I wanted to thank everyone for participating in the poll. I'm not going to reveal our age upon Wookie's request, though I also never intended to tell you. I was just curious on what our reviewers thought of us. The results were very interesting! I'm going to keep the poll up for a few more days and then close it- so if you haven't voted, you should now!**

**I hope you enjoyed and please review! It makes me motivated. I'm going to need it for the next chapter -laughs-.**


	17. For You

**A/N: It's been a long time since I've updated this story. Honestly, I'm disappointed that I couldn't make this chapter longer for you folks; I wanted to get to at least 3,000 words. Unfortunately, this is only 2,400 + words, but I promise I will try make the next chapter longer. I really want to finish this story so that I can concentrate on the next one I want to do: which will also be KaZe mind you. Of course, I don't want to rush this to the ending just so I can start on my next story, but I'm thinking about only doing a few more chapters for this story and then it'll be a wrap!**

**Thank you so much for supporting and wanting to read the next chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>For You<strong>

Zero was angry. He was pissed! Haruka, at least, it was probably Haruka, had used his power to put him to sleep. He had _been _asleep for probably the whole day because of that. Of course, he somewhat understood why Haruka had put him to sleep. He was so restless waiting for Kaname and Rido that he couldn't sit still. He had paced the length of the walls multiple times as he bit his nails to the point that they bled; he probably stressed them out. But he was still mad! What happened to Kaname? Was he dead or was he alive? Did he go back to the school or was he still here? What did Rido have to say to him? Why was Kaname here in the first place? Was Kaname looking for him?

He had so many questions but he had absolutely no answers; that's why his mood was bad.

His feet thudded against the ground, his footsteps echoing off of the walls as he ran. His hair whipped across his face and his heart thumped in his chest from anxiety. The silverette had somewhat gotten the layout of the house down, but he still got lost- another reason why he was irritable. After a few minutes he had gotten to a hallway that was familiar, and he quickly darted down it, marching to the door that led to the dining room. Zero threw open the doors with a loud bang.

The Kurans looked up at him in surprise, and although Juuri and Haruka had greeted him, Zero didn't return it, ignoring them completely. He stomped right over to Rido, grabbing his collar, "Where's Kaname, what did you do to him? If he's dead I'll kill you!"

Rido glared at him. Zero glared back and gave him a growl that could be heard across the room. He wasn't scared; Kaname had almost killed him, a simple glare wouldn't scare him.

The heterochromatic male snorted, a wry smile plastering itself on his face. He then let out a low, sarcastic chuckle before lifting his chin arrogantly, eyeing Haruka who was sitting across of him, "I can see why you adore him."

Haruka's expression was unreadable, a calm smile present on his face. Juuri had no expression at all and ate her meal silently. Shiki had gotten out of his seat, trying to gently pry Zero off of his dad.

"Go away!" Zero snapped, slapping away Shiki's hand. He tightened his grip on Rido, his glare as sharp as a blade; "Answer me!"

"You, _boy_," Rido narrowed his eyes, using his power to compel Zero to let go of him and kneel slightly, "Are getting on my nerves."

"G-good," Zero gritted his teeth, trying to fight against the pureblood's power.

"As a pureblood I'm your superior Level _E- _so you better respect me_."_

"You're just like _Kaname_," Zero stated bluntly, gasping when his world suddenly started to spin. Before he could even blink, Rido was holding him by one hand in the air. The brunette's hand covered Zero's mouth and nose, making it difficult for him to breathe. Zero placed his hands on Rido's wrists and flailed his legs, trying to get the pureblood to let go.

"Father let him go."

Rido only tightened his grip in response. Zero let out a strangled, pained gasp as he felt Rido's nails dig into his skull. The pressure of his grip made him feel like that his whole head would be crushed within seconds.

"Rido!" Haruka reproached after a few moments, the tableware clattering as he abruptly stood.

The heterochromatic male let out an irritated 'tsk' before he let Zero drop to the floor. He watched with scorn as the silverette coughed and breathed roughly, hands holding his head, "_Weak_."

Rido turned on his heel, making his way out of the dining room. Haruka sighed, and once he saw that Zero was being looked after by Shiki, he excused himself, running after the taller male. He rushed to keep up with the older male. Haruka huffed, irritated at how long Rido's strides were. He had called out "wait" to him several times, but those long, elegant strides had yet to stop.

"RIDO KURAN I SAID TO WAIT!" Haruka finally snapped.

The heterchromatic male stopped abruptly when Haruka screamed behind him, turning slowly to see Haruka huffing and puffing slightly. He smirked at the younger male's red face, and his irritated expression. After Haruka had finally caught up with him, he tilted his head in amusement, "You look like an irritated squirrel."

Haruka reached up, putting his fingers around Rido's cheeks before grabbing a good amount of skin, pulling outwards, "And you look like an idiot."

"Ow-" Rido winced and Haruka let go, "You were _making _me look like one."

"No, you really do look like an idiot. You _are_an idiot. Go apologize to Zero."

Rido's expression hardened at the silverette's name, "No."

"Why?" The shorter male asked, crossing his arms, tilting his head as if he was a parent questioning his child. "Give me a good reason why you won't apologize."

"I _hate_ him," Rido stated bluntly. "What I did yesterday wasn't for your kid, that brat, or anybody else; it was for _you_. I only gave Kaname a good earful because _you _said to."

"Then, I say to apologize to Zero." Haruka already knew that Rido had a brother complex. How could he not when they lived this long? Rido was very attached to him, despite being the oldest. He would think that the youngest would be attached to the oldest, but then again, nothing about their family was very normal.

"But I _hate _him," Rido complained.

"You are being a child."

"Shut up; who's the older brother here?"

Haruka smiled, "Of course, _you_ are _nii-sama_. Are you going to deny the small request of your _otouto?" _

He watched as Rido stiffened and his smile widened. They stayed in silence for a few moments before the taller male let out an exasperated sigh. Rido scratched his head in frustration before glaring at his younger brother, though it wasn't as serious as the one he had given Zero, "Fine! Don't give me that face."

Haruka laughed, blinking when Rido started walking away, "Where are you going? Zero isn't that way."

Rido tsked, "I'll apologize but the place of reconciliation doesn't have to be the dining room."

"I suppose," Haruka shrugged, watching as Rido walked away. He waited until Rido disappeared behind a corner before sighing and walking back to the dining room. He didn't ask where the male was going; he already knew where. Now, he just had to find a good reason to get Zero to go to that place, because the lilac-eyed male certainly wouldn't go for Rido.

* * *

><p>"So…" Zero gritted his teeth, glaring at the high-and-mighty Rido in front of him.<p>

Haruka had asked him to get something that he forgot in the garden, and that he'd know it when he saw it. The silverette thought it was weird that he hadn't asked any of the maids that were standing idle in the room, but he didn't question him. Haruka had taken care of him all this time, what was this one little favor compared to that? But now that he was here, he was beginning to regret doing the "favor". As he stated previously, Rido was a lot like Kaname, but despite being like Kaname, Zero absolutely detested this man. He was _definitely _sure that he would never ever fall for Rido like he did with Kaname.

If he did, he really would be insane.

He would ask Kaname to make him a grave in the back of the school, and maybe if he was brave enough, ask Kaname to visit his grave every other day.

"I'm sorry," Rido said, _obviously _not sorry at all. The man nonchalantly tore a rose from the bush, crushing it in his hands, watching as the petals fell to the ground. "Well? I said it, you can go now."

"You," Zero glared, "Say it properly!"

"Why should I?"

The silverette facepalmed multiple times- what was _with _this family? "Look, I hate you too so the feeling is mutual-"

"Good," Rido's smile was so pompous that Zero just wanted to punch his face, "Now go away- no, get out of this house."

"You can't tell me what to do."

The brunette sneered, "Oh? Even when I'm a _pureblood_?"

"Pureblood or not," Zero glared, making a gun motion with his fingers, "When I get my gun back, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

Rido laughed; he was laughing so hard that his back was beginning to hurt, as well as his sides. Tears were coming out of his eyes, and he could barely breathe. When he finally calmed down, he was smiling wryly, and got up to walk over to Zero, "You're just like _him__._"

"Who?" Zero asked, still glaring at the man, irritated that he had been laughed at.

"Your damned _father_," Rido spat and held up a finger when Zero opened his mouth to speak. He slowly moved his finger to the side, using his power to keep the silverette's mouth shut, "_I _am the one talking."

Zero's hands flew up to his mouth, trying to tear his lips open, but they wouldn't part. Rido snickered in amusement before continuing, not caring if the silverette was listening or not. He just wanted to _say_ something. He had held it in for _years_ now, but now that a look-a-like of that _Kiryu_ was standing right in front of him, he had to say it. He could take it out on someone _verbally_.

It would be just like yelling at Zero's father.

"Your father," Rido's voice was soaked in hatred, so much hatred that it made Zero shiver, "He was _stubborn_, sure of his beliefs, and his opinion couldn't be moved no matter how hard one tried. He was _annoying_. I didn't want anything to do with him or _any_ of the hunters for that matter. But you know what Haruka did? He strolled into that village and _befriended _them!" Rido laughed incredulously, slapping his knees in wry humor.

Zero watched him, already somewhat calmed. He wouldn't admit it, but he was curious. Where was this going?

"Then your stupid dad started following him around like some sort of _dog_." The brunette was pacing now; the sound of the grass blades beneath his feet reminded Zero of wailing, strangely. "And our father approved! _Why-_I have absolutely no idea- perhaps he was reaching the age that he was turning into a lunatic!"

The vampire kicked over the chair he was previously sitting on, breathing heavily, eyes flashing to a bright scarlet read. He chuckled wryly after a few moments before mumbling, "Then, after a little over a decade passed, Haruka stopped going…and I was happy, but then he said that he was going to get married."

Rido opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but paused, and immediately closed it. His form was rigid and his lips pursed.

The silverette stared at him, almost pitying him, because he knew what he felt like; at least, he assumed he knew what Rido felt like. But maybe it was different, because Haruka was Rido's brother, not just an acquaintance or friend that he had met years ago and grew attached to. Discovering that Rido's hold on him was nonexistent, he was finally able to open his mouth, but trailed off at the first words, not knowing how to word the rest of the question.

"Love is unconditional," Rido stated after a long fatigued sigh. "There's no such thing as conditional love. If it's conditional, that's not love at all."

"You," Zero started, pausing for a moment in slight surprise when the brunette actually turned to look at him. "You did a lot for Haruka didn't you?"

Rido scoffed, but it held no malice, "Of course, I'm his older _brother_."

Zero's thoughts immediately went to his younger brother, Ichiru. His eyes lowered as flashes of Ichiru playing around in the snow with him appeared in his mind. He let a small smile grace his face as the sound of Ichiru laughing and playing echoed in his ears. Finally, lilac eyes looked up at curious brown ones, and he let his smile grow a little bit more, "I think you did a great job."

The pureblood vampire stared at him in consideration for a while before scoffing, "I don't need you to tell me that, I _know _I did a great job." He mumbled something softly right after that, but Zero couldn't catch it.

"Pardon?" Zero tilted his head.

Rido waved a hand before jerking his head to the right and crossing his arms, "Senri is looking for you."

The lilac-eyed male knew a dismissal when he heard one, and nodded once before swiveling on the balls of his feet, turning in the direction the handsome vampire jerked his head towards.

"Hunter."

Zero blinked and looked back at Rido with a questioning gaze.

"What do you think of my son?"

"Of Shiki?"

Rido chuckled, his head lolling to the side, "I don't think I have another child."

"Shut up," Zero rolled his eyes before thoughtfully looking up at the sky. "I'm not sure."

"How can you not be sure?" Rido raised an eyebrow in a way that made it obvious that it was a Kuran trait, "You should know what you think of another person."

"Despite the fact that I attend the same school as Shiki," Zero tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently, though he wasn't irritated, "I don't _know_him. He's very quiet- and I'm not in the same class as him, so I don't have a proper opinion."

"Hm, interesting," Rido nodded, turning his head away.

"Kiryu-senpai?"

The silverette turned his head at the soft, monotonous voice: speak of the devil. "Shiki."

"Did you decide to admire the roses?" He asked curiously, head tilted slightly with his hands behind his back.

Zero couldn't help but relate Shiki to a cute little puppy at that moment. Still, he was confused when Shiki didn't seem to notice his father there. He turned to look back at where Rido was sitting previously, only to discover that he wasn't there anymore.

Shiki's hands twitched to reach out and touch Zero's shoulder, but bit his lip, and instead attracted the male's attention with his voice, "Kiryu-senpai?"

"Huh?" Zero blinked, subtly tugging on his sleeve sheepishly, "Oh...uh...yeah I was admiring the roses. They're very beautiful."

"Which one is your favorite?" The blue-eyed male asked, surprising Zero; he wasn't usually _this _talkative. Still, seeing as how it wouldn't hurt to answer, Zero told him.

"All of them." Putting his hands in his pockets, he walked silently past Shiki, who followed him back into the mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>xox<strong>

**Written by Cookie**

**Hopefully I haven't disappointed any of you in this chapter in ways other than the fact that this was a bit short; please review to tell me what you think! **


	18. Conversing

**A/N: 3,100 + words! I'm happy. I thought i wouldn't make it~ I have to thank Wookie for giving me ideas for this chapter; sorry it took so long. (Well, it wasn't as long of a wait as the previous chapter, but I was hoping to get this chapter uploaded within a week.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Conversing <strong>

"ZERO-CHAAAAANNN~ WHERE HAVE YOU BEEENNN~ LET DADDY HUG YOU AND GIVE ALL MY LOVE TO YOOOOUUU~"

Zero's eye twitched as Kaien greeted him as soon as he walked through the door. His form went rigid and his aura darkened, turning a glare to the older male with glasses, and straw-colored hair. He knew Kaien meant well, but sometimes, most of the time, or _all_ of the time, the male embarrassed him so much that _he_ wanted to die or_ kill _the male. He heard that _all _parents seemed to like to embarrass the hell out of their children, but he couldn't fathom that they were on the level that Kaien was.

"Die first and then we'll talk." Zero said bluntly, blatantly ignoring the "adult" when he burst out into alligator tears, and made his way to his dorm room.

It had been about two days since he had come back to Cross Academy. He didn't really want to leave the confines of Haruka's mansion. Haruka and Juuri were so kind, funny, easy to talk to, and parental. They were so warm and hospitable that he didn't _want _to go back to school. It was as if he had left parents that he had only just met. Zero was slightly comforted when Juuri hugged him and told him that he could, and should come back to visit again soon.

Still, he couldn't help but feel strange to be on the school grounds again. It felt like ages since he had last been here. The silverette recognized the school of course, but at the same time, he didn't recognize it: if that makes any sense. He felt like a total stranger in his classes and often questioned himself if he was in the right class. It wasn't as if he had _any_ friends in the school, but he felt like he never _was _here in the first place: like it was his first time here. It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

He didn't go to his prefect duties. He _couldn't_; how could he face Kaname so soon after what happened? Although he often caught glimpses of the pureblood from afar, he didn't have the courage to go up to the bastard: not yet. He also needed some time to think about his feelings for Kaname too. Thankfully, Kaien let him have a little break from those duties, having heard of the situation from his good friend Juuri.

"Z-...Zero!"

The silverette looked up at the sound of his name: it was Yuki. He stopped walking for a moment before resuming his steps towards her, or rather, his dorm room: she was right in front of the door. He had also blatantly avoided this girl too. Zero never answered the door when she knocked, never replied to her when she called out to him, and absolutely avoided being stuck in the same room as her. Apparently, Kaname didn't talk with her anymore either, often making Takuma meet up with her to tell her that "he's busy."

"...Go away Yuki." Zero said coldly when she didn't move away from the doorway.

"Oh, please Zero," Yuki said with pleading eyes, her dainty fingers clinging to Zero's sleeve, "Forgive me; we're brother and sister aren't w-"

The brunette female let out a surprised yelp when Zero slammed his hand against the door near her head, "Don't call me that. I'm _not _your brother."

"B-"

The lilac-eyed male shoved Yuki away from his dorm room door, and as he opened it he looked at the girl from the corner of his eyes, "It'll be a _long _time before you can call me that again."

The silverette teen walked into his room, shutting the door with a somewhat loud slam, cutting Yuki off from whatever she was going to say next. He didn't want to hear it from her now. The male leaned his back against the door, listening as the girl walked away, and sighed. The bed looked extremely comfortable and welcoming now. He let his school bag fall to the floor, kicking his shoes off as he dragged himself towards his bed. Zero tilted himself forward, letting himself fall to the bed, his head landing on his fluffy pillows, not bothering to change out of his uniform before he slept.

Thankfully, his dreams weren't of anything; he didn't want to have embarrassing dreams of him and Kaname.

–

By the time he woke up, it was only one in the morning. He was wide awake and he felt well rested. Silently, he cursed his luck. Why couldn't he have slept longer? Zero decided to stay in bed for a few minutes, hoping that he would bore himself to sleep. But as the minutes dragged on by, it was clear that he wasn't going back to sleep, and he was getting really hot with the sheets over him. Grumbling, he kicked the sheets off, slipped on his shoes, and silently made his way to open his door.

He walked down the quiet hallways towards the garden, faintly hearing the leaves rustling in the breeze. The moon was bright today, as it was nearly a full moon. The silverette made his way across the grass, plopping himself onto the nearest bench, before leaning his back against the back-rest. He leaned his head a bit back, staring at the stars twinkling in the sky, and after a few minutes he was getting a bit drowsy. Too lazy to pick himself up, Zero started drifting off to sleep outside on the bench.

That is, until he felt someone shaking his shoulder, and heard a soft, monotonous, familiar voice.

"Kiryu-senpai."

"Hmm...?" Zero let out a soft groan, heavy lids opening just a crack. "Shiki?" He slurred sleepily.

"You'll catch a cold out here." Shiki said softly, "You should go back to your room..."

"Oh," The older male replied rather lamely and sighed. "Nah, I'll sleep later..." He looked at Shiki and tilted his head, "Finished with classes?"

When the seventeen-year-old aristocrat gave a silent nod, Zero "hmmed", and the two fell into silence, staring at each other for a few short moments.

"Why are you out here?" Shiki asked.

Zero blinked, the drowsy effects of sleep seeming to have withdrawn a bit. Shiki really liked starting conversations with him it seemed. "I fell asleep early and when I woke up I couldn't go back to sleep...then I drifted off out here."

"I see." The blue-eyed male nodded slowly.

They fell into another silence.

"...Shouldn't you go back to your groupie of vampires?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then no."

Yet another silence: if Zero was the type to, he'd probably laugh, "...Well, don't you want to sit?"

Shiki blinked, and the silverette swore he could see a bit of surprise in the brunette's eyes, "Next to you?"

"Of course, where else?" Zero raised an eyebrow.

The russet haired male seemed to ponder on it for a while before his light blue-eyes met Zero's lilac ones, "Thank you;" it was monotonous, but sincere. "What time do you normally sleep?"

It was an innocent question, Zero thought to himself, one that was reasonable. He probably just wanted to know because he wasn't usually out here falling asleep. "I usually sleep at 12. You?"

"Around 10 or 11." Shiki replied. His eyes darted to his lap, as if he was thinking of another question, and as soon as he opened his mouth, sure enough, was a question: "Do you sleep naked?"

Lilac eyes widened before Zero choked on his own saliva, and after coughing for a few moments, asked, "_What?_"

"Do you-"

"No, don't repeat it," Zero hissed through his teeth, cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. "Of course I sleep with my clothes _on_- why did you ask such a creepy question?"

"I was only curious." Shiki said dully, seemingly unfazed by Zero's embarrassment. He was secretly enjoying the appearance of pink on Zero's pale cheeks, but decided it would be best if he not continue asking anymore questions about the silverette's sleeping habits. "Dogs or cats?"

"...Wha-..." The eighteen-year-old asked; it was such a random question that was so far off from the subject that they were previously on that he was thrown off.

The other male just shrugged, "Asking random questions is a great way to get to know each other."

"Uh-huh..."

"So, dogs or cats?"

"Cats." Zero replied, nodding surely. They weren't as noisy as dogs and they could take care of themselves. He wouldn't have to worry too much about them if he had one, and they were cute. He side-glanced at the male who was younger by a year, and blinked twice when he hadn't spoken any more. It seemed that he was waiting for something, but what?

'Oh', Zero thought, having an epiphany, 'He wants me to ask him questions too. Guess it wouldn't hurt...got nothing else to do.' He sighed, eyes looking up to the moon as if the shining rock in the sky would tell him what to ask. It was a while before Zero eventually came up with a question, but he did, "Are you annoyed by the fangirls that wait for you vampires outside of your dorm gate?"

"Sometimes," Shiki answered, happy that Zero decided to join in the game of asking questions back and forth. After the long silence, he thought that Zero wasn't going to say anything.

"Good, I would hit your head if you didn't." The silverette joked, flicking his wrist towards the brunette slightly, noiselessly saying: "your turn."

"Do you sing in the shower?"

Zero shook his head, "No; I just shower."

Suddenly, Shiki's eyes sparkled in curiosity, "What does your singing voice sound like?"

"It's not your turn to ask," The silverette accused lightly before asking his question, "Do any of the vampires sing?"

"In the dorm?" At Zero's nod, Rido's son returned it, "Yes. Ruka and Aido sing very often in the showers, though I can't say they're talented." Quickly, before Zero interrupted, he asked, "Can I hear your singing voice?"

The taller male grimaced, "No way. I don't sing that well!"

"I'm sure that's a lie."

"It's not. What do you do when you're bored?" Zero asked, trying to draw Shiki away from the question of him singing.

"I think of...people." The vampire male mumbled so softly that Zero had a hard time deciphering what he said. "You?"

"I ride on Lily," He answered, mouth twitching into a smile just a bit.

"Lily?"

"One of the horses."

"Can I come with you and watch you ride her?" Shiki asked, not realizing that he had already asked three questions, and it wasn't his turn for two of them. Zero didn't seem to mind though, and didn't scold him for asking questions when it wasn't his turn.

"Sure."

They sat in another silence, enjoying the soft song of nocturnal nature. Zero stretched as a soft breeze traveled through the garden, picking up one or two leaves and blowing them elsewhere. The wind started to move the clouds, which covered the moon, and it remained dark for a few moments before the clouds moved away again. The silverette was getting a little tired now, maybe he should go back to the dorms soon. But honestly, he was having fun chatting with Shiki, and while he was tired, he didn't really want to go.

The brunette, noticing Zero's eyes start to droop in their silence, tapped the male's shoulder, "Tired?"

Zero sighed reluctantly, "Yeah."

"You should go back to your room then." Shiki said before he stood and held out his hand for Zero to take. Once he did, he pulled the male up, "I still want to hear you sing."

"When will you ever drop that?"

"Never."

"I thought so." Zero feigned exasperation in his expression before it turned gentle, hopeful, "Can we do this again?"

"Of course." Shiki waved a bit, ecstatic, though it never really showed on his stoic face. He was glad that Zero enjoyed his company enough that he'd want to spend even more time with him. "Good night; see you later."

"Good night."

–

The young vampire watched as Zero walked away, standing there until he couldn't see the older male anymore. He made a one-eighty turn to go back to his dorms, overwhelmed with happiness at the fact that he had sat next to the silverette, and was able to talk with him for a while. Shiki had a crush on the older male. He'd write little notes for Zero, but he never actually had the courage to send them to him, especially since he knew that Zero liked Kaname. Rima would often criticize Shiki about this, and would try to persuade him to send whatever notes and presents that Shiki made, but would never send. She was always unsuccessful, much to her irritation. The brunette understood that she was trying to help him, but he didn't want to make things awkward for Zero.

It was best if he kept his feelings to himself; he was sure that his feelings would dim over time, but they remained as strong as ever. After he learned that Kaname and Zero were getting close from Haruka, he became a bit depressed, and desperately hoped that he would fall out of love with Zero soon. Then, his uncle had told him that Zero's and Kaname's relationship, whatever sort of relationship they had, had become rocky. Shiki was mad at his cousin for attacking Zero without thinking; he was pissed that Kaname could even believe that Zero would actually attack Yuki without being provoked, but he was also glad, and hopeful. He felt bad for feeling that way, but he did.

He had a _chance_. It was a slim one, but a chance nonetheless. But that chance had jumped tonight, because now Zero _wanted_ to talk with him: he wanted to have conversations with him. It was like a dream come true.

Ah, life was starting to look brighter for a change.

"Hey."

Shiki paused in his stride, looking up, spotting the two cousins, Ruka and Aido, standing on the stairs. Aido's elbows were on the banister, leaning on it, while Ruka was standing about a foot away from the male with her arms crossed, her chin slightly up in the air as she stared at Shiki from the corner of her eyes. They seemed intrigued, though they had an air of confusion about them. Shiki sighed inwardly when he realized they must have seen him with Zero just now.

"Souen-senpai, Aido-senpai," Shiki murmured a greeting, walking towards them.

Ruka's left hand fell to her slender hips as her right flipped a few locks of her hair, "So, why were you with that hunter?" She drawled, as if she wasn't especially interested.

The younger male just stared at her from the bottom of the stairs, watching as Ruka's face morphed with irritation and impatience, betraying her pretense of non-interest; "Well?"

Aido stood from his leaning position, putting his hands behind his back, musing aloud, "You were talking for a pretty long time!"

"It was a normal conversation," Shiki replied, mumbling a 'excuse me' as he made his way up the stairs, slipping his way between Aido and Ruka.

"Huh?" The cousins questioned simultaneously, quickly following after the younger vampire. They were flabbergasted. Shiki had never really been one to go out of his social circle, which consisted of mainly _only_ Takuma and Rima. He _only_ conversed with them; with everyone else, he'd nod, shake his head, or reply with a short sentence, which would often make the person who tried to talk with him very confused. The Night Class students would have to ask Takuma to translate. So, Aido and Ruka were thrown off when Shiki said that he'd just had a conversation with the last person they'd think he'd have a conversation with.

"Define 'normal'," Aido requested, obviously eager to know what the temperamental hunter and the silent, stoic vampire could talk about with each other. He and Ruka were on Shiki's heels trying to get something, anything at all out of the youngest.

As they approached the dorms of the Night Class, Shiki sighed out of exasperation, and gave in. He turned around abruptly, making the two older students almost ram into him. The brunette blinked in boredom, "We got to know each other a bit."

Ruka raised an elegant eyebrow, "Got to know?" She repeated, somewhat incredulous that Zero Kiryu would ever tell anybody, especially a vampire, about himself.

Shiki nodded.

"Like asking for hobbies and stuff?" The blond-haired male asked for confirmation.

Shiki nodded again.

Ruka and Aido just stared at the rustic-haired male as if he had grown a second head. Shiki stared back for a while, clearing his throat when Ruka and Aido had just continued looking at him rather vacantly, "Well, if that's all..." He trailed off, reaching for the door.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Shiki looked at Aido, surprisingly looking nearly exasperated. He gazed intently at the blond-haired male, waiting for him to state whatever he needed to say so he could go and spend time with Rima and Takuma. He wanted to at least get there before Rima ate most of the pocky.

"How...what..." Aido spluttered, having difficulties with finding the words he wanted to use to ask his question.

Ruka glared irritably at her cousin, sighing rather loudly as she rubbed her temples, her eyes closed. When she opened them, the two men were looking at her. Well, Aido was glaring daggers at her and Shiki was looking at her with dull curiosity.

"It's _Zero_," She drawled, emphasizing Zero's name. "Zero doesn't _have_ civil conversations with _vampires_."

"He can." Shiki said, tilting his head politely to the two older vampires, entering the Night Class dorm building without another word, leaving Aido and Ruka dumbfounded outside.

He strolled silently across the rather empty lounge area, making his way up the tall, magnificent stair-case before he made a bee-line to Takuma's room. Takuma and Rima were already there, as expected. The blond was seated on a lounge chair, while the ginger was seated on a loveseat chewing on chocolate. They both looked up when he entered the room and greeted him. Takuma had more enthusiasm in his greeting than Rima did, but the girl was just as happy to see him, and Shiki knew this. The rustic-haired male nodded a greeting to both of them, shuffling towards the coffee table where a clear-glass bowl sat, still filled with sweets.

"You made a detour?" Takuma asked with cheerful, bubbly curiosity, his trademark smile plastered on his face.

Shiki nodded. "I spoke with Kiryu-senpai."

Takuma's smile brightened; it was almost blinding, "Did you have fun?"

"It was pleasant," Shiki replied softly, eyes sparkling cutely when Rima held a pocky stick in front of his face: tomorrow couldn't come any faster.

* * *

><p><strong>Written by Cookie<strong>

**Please review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There'll be more Shiki and Zero moments to come in the next chapter, but this fiction _will_ end with Kaname/Zero. **


	19. Jittery

**A/N: Once again not as long as I'd like it to be. I'm sorry for the long wait! This chapter was hard for me to write and it was giving me writer's block at every turn. This is my first time writing for Sayori, but I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless. I'm hoping that the next chapter will be the last. Please enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Sayori sighed as she stood at the steps of the Night Class dorm. The girl closed her eyes as she fiddled with her fingers, took a deep breath, and straightened her back out. She quickly smoothed out her skirt, and plastered a calm, small smile on her cute face despite being extremely nervous. After knocking exactly three times, she waited in anticipation for the large oak doors to open. The girl was here on business and hopefully, she would be able to complete it. Never in a million years had she thought that she would ever be standing on these steps, let alone by herself without the company of Zero or Yuki. Still, she <em>had <em>to do something to improve the ongoing situation. She didn't like seeing Yuki upset because Zero and Kaname were ignoring her, even though it was technically her fault that things ended up this way.

The brunette girl stiffened even more when she heard the door click rather ominously, in her opinion anyways, and held her breath slightly.

"What?" Sayori's eyebrow twitched at the rather rude greeting, looking up to meet the electric-blue eyes of the "Idol" of the Night Class: Aido-senpai. He seemed to regret how he answered the door once he saw that it was Sayori, and quickly changed his posture and tone of voice, "Oh, hello...um..."

"Sayori Wakaba," she informed him, trying to refrain from lecturing the male on manners.

"Oh, of course, how could I forget?" Aido smiled charmingly at her, "May I help you Wakaba-chan?"

Unfortunately for the blond, his charming, handsome smile, and bedroom eyes had no effect on the hazel-eyed female. "Yes," Sayori smiled, somewhat amused by Aido's flirtatious personality but still put-off by how rudely she was greeted at first, "Is Kuran-senpai here?"

"Kaname-sama?" Aido repeated in surprise, though it registered quickly that Sayori _was_ and _is_ Yuki's best friend, so it probably had something to do with Yuki. After all, Kaname didn't want to see Yuki at all, so it would make sense that Sayori would try and see him instead. Although this was an ingenious idea, the pureblood had been in an off mood lately, and it wasn't _only _Yuki that he was ignoring. He had become a hermit for the time being. "He is, but I can't guarantee that he'll see you."

"That's fine; I'd like to try."

Aido exhaled softly, reluctantly giving in, motioning her in with his finger, "Well then, since you're so insistent..."

Sayori expressed her gratitude softly as she stepped in, nodding her thanks when Aido closed the door behind her. Her eyes darted around the area for a brief moment before she noticed the male already at the foot of the stairs, and quickly she skipped to keep up with him. It was her first time actually inside the Night Class dorm, and it was really too bad that she couldn't satisfy her curiosity about the place. If she weren't here strictly on business, and if she was a bit more fond of the Night Class, she might have wanted to stay a while.

"Oh!" Sayori gasped out in surprise, hugging the wall when a black blur just zoomed past them as they neared the top of the stairs.

"Ah...I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine..." Sayori blinked. It was Kaname's cousin, Senri Shiki. His normally dull eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement and anticipation, and by how he was speeding down the stairs, Sayori deducted that he couldn't wait to get somewhere. Her eyes darted to the male's cell-phone, which he held just a bit away from his ear. Faintly, she could make out the name "Zero" on the screen. When had those two gotten so close that they exchanged phone numbers? Sayori wondered to herself.

"Watch it Shiki!" Aido huffed in annoyance.

The male blinked vacantly, "I said I was sorry..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, well sorry don't-"

"I said it's fine," the hazel-eyed female interjected before Aido got too out of hand. Really, talk about overreacting.

The electric-blue-eyed male puffed his cheeks out slightly, but before he could throw any more of his mini tantrum, his cousins, Kain and Ruka walked in. Kain pinched his younger cousin's cheek lightly and flicked his forehead, making the blond whine about the pain.

"Ow!" Aido hissed, his hands going up to his face, "Akatsuki, why'd you do that for!?"

Ruka deliberately stepped on his toes, hard, without mercy, "Because you're being immature."

"Ow, ow, ow! What was that!?"

Blatantly ignoring Aido, much to the male's aggravation, she turned her attention to Shiki, her foot still pressing down on her cousin's, "Just be more careful next time."

"...Yes, Souen-senpai...then..." Shiki bowed his head politely, quickly trotting down the stairs with his phone pressed against his ear. Sayori swore that she could see the male's lips actually twitch up into a small smile as he made his way out of the dorms, seeming to have a pleasant conversation with Zero.

"Take your foot off Ruka!" Aido screeched.

She pressed down harder, "I don't feel like it," she stated monotonously.

"Stop it you two," Kain mumbled, his tone of voice showing small hints of exasperation. Poor guy, Sayori thought to herself; he must have dealt with this all day every day. She held in her breath for a moment when Kain's mellow eyes turned to look straight into hers. "So..."

"Y-yes?"

"What are you doing here?"

With a grunt, Aido pushed his cousin successfully off of his foot and shook it out to ease the pain, "Before _Ruka _here stepped on my foot, I was taking Wakaba-chan to see Kaname-sama."

"Kaname-sama?" Ruka echoed as she turned her piercing gaze to the shorter female, "Why would you want to see Kaname-sama?"

"I need to talk to him," the petite girl answered calmly, refraining from cowering under Ruka's overpowering glare.

"About what?"

After a moment of hesitation, Sayori replied, "About Zero and Yuki."

The three vampires stared at the short-haired female silently, the air thick. Sayori had to give herself a mental pat on the back for keeping a straight face under the intense stares of the three Night Class students. She felt like a mouse being driven into a corner by three cats. Eventually, Kain's mellow voice sliced through the silence like a knife.

"Hanabusa, I can take her to him instead." Kain volunteered, looking at his two cousins tiredly, "Don't get yourselves into trouble please."

"We won't," was the simultaneous answer, though the tall male knew that it was nearly impossible for them to avoid trouble, and prepared himself for the worst. With a glance to the light-brown haired human girl, Kain moved his long legs in the direction of Kaname's office.

* * *

><p>The strawberry-blond haired male knocked on his leader's door twice, "Kaname-sama, Sayori Wakaba requested an audience with you."<p>

"Send her in," came the muffled reply.

Kain looked to Sayori, placing his hand gently on her shoulder, "You seem to know your place and how to act in front of us, but if you do happen to anger Kaname-sama in any way, Hanabusa, Ruka and I will be nearby."

Assuming Kain told her they'd be nearby to make her feel at ease, judging by the soothing tone of his voice, the petite girl nodded, smiling gratefully, "Thank you Kain-senpai."

"You're welcome," the gentle-giant graced her with a small smile as he opened the door to the pureblood's office for her.

Taking a deep breath of courage, Sayori placed her hands at the sides of her thighs, walking into the dimly lit office. The curtains were shut, and only two lamps were on. There were corners of the room that were completely dark, leaving long, pure black shadows, projecting an ominous feel. It only made the human girl more nervous than she already was.

Suppressing a shiver from the cold air, she bowed politely, albeit jerkily, "Good day Kuran-senpai."

"Good day Miss Wakaba," the brunette greeted stiffly, as if he was a bit stressed, but with just as much politeness as Sayori's greeting held, "I'm a bit busy..."

It was obvious to Sayori that this was a lie. There wasn't anything on the pureblood's desk, save for three, give or take, papers that hadn't even been touched. There weren't any signs of pens near the papers or in Kaname's hand either. Still, she didn't comment about the fact, and nodded, "Don't worry, this won't take long." the girl took a timid step forward, "About Yuki and Zero..."

Just as the names of Yuki and Zero left her lips, the atmosphere's temperature lowered considerably. Sayori noted how Kaname's jaw tightened slightly, and how his eyes narrowed, "Leave," he commanded, dropping any attempt at hiding his bad mood.

"Please listen to me," Sayori pleaded, refraining from giving up and leaving with her tail between her legs, "No, you _must _listen to me."

"Wakaba-" Kaname stood, his height succeeding in making him even more intimidating than he was, but Sayori stood her ground, much to the brunette's frustration.

"I _**saw**_ it!" She confessed, round eyes shining with seriousness, "Yuki _forced _Zero into bloodlust!" 

* * *

><p>A week had passed since Shiki's and Zero's first conversation, and each and everyday their conversations had become all the more engaging. They had gone from random questioning, to jokes, to conversations of school, to stimulating debates, and to conversations centering around themselves. Over the week, Shiki had learned a lot of things about Zero, but not <em>just <em>what the silverette informed him. The younger male learned that when Zero disliked a subject, he would bite his lips to hold in a sigh, and his eyes would go to the right side. If Zero was bored, he would play with his fingers and his feet would tap as if they were following a rhythm. And if Zero really liked what they were talking about, he would turn his face to Shiki, his full attention on the male. So Shiki tried his best to keep the conversations interesting just so he could admire Zero's front-face view; he really was beautiful.

All in all, Shiki thought that he did a wonderful job in getting Zero to open up to him. He got his cell-phone number and his instant-messaging address on their fourth meeting, which he thought was pretty good. They began talking to each other online on days they couldn't meet in person. Shiki learned that Zero didn't have a lot of time to cook his own meals before, but now that he was taking a break from his prefect duties, he had a lot of time on his hands. Apparently, Zero liked salad, and before he did his homework, he would dally, take a shower, and eat a bowl of salad before he brought out his homework. Who really wanted to do their homework right away anyways?

Their conversations never made it to Zero's or his love-life, not that Shiki ever dared to ask the older-male about it. He decided that if Zero wanted to talk about it, then he would. He wouldn't intrude or make the silverette talk about it; it would come out on its own eventually.

Shiki anxiously glanced at his phone, checking the time every ten seconds, a little voice in the back of his mind complaining that time just couldn't pass by any faster. The other night, Shiki blurted out that he wanted to go somewhere with the lilac-eyed male, much to his embarrassment. Unexpectedly, Zero agreed on the spot, without any persuasion. He was so excited that as soon as he woke up, he got dressed and dashed down the stairs, nearly ramming into Yuki Cross' best friend, Sayori. Now, he was waiting for the silverette, wondering what was taking him so long. Granted, he _did_ arrive at their meeting location forty-five minutes prior to their actual meeting time. Although he had a _huge_ crush on the male, he had to admit that this was a bit excessive.

"Shiki!"

Said male looked to the side, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards as soon as he spotted the older teen running towards him, "Kiryu-senpai."

"Sorry," Zero panted lightly, looking as if he ran from the Boy Day Class dorms all the way to Shiki, "Am I late? I think my clock is broken..."

"You aren't late," Shiki reassured before he questioned curiously, "Why do you think your clock is broken?"

Zero's cheeks, red from running, turned darker, "Well...I threw it..." he admitted.

"Again?" Shiki blinked, remembering that the ex-hunter had done this a few days ago.

"...Again."

The rustic-haired male graced Zero with a small smile, restraining himself from reaching over and hugging him tightly. Stepping forward to begin walking, he motioned to the town area, "Why don't we go shopping for a new clock for you then?"

Zero blinked, following after Shiki down the walkway, "Huh? But what about your plans? Didn't you want to do something?"

Shiki shook his head in the negative, "No, I just wanted to go out with you some place. Anywhere." He paused, a small frown appearing on his face; did that sound weird? He glanced nervously at Zero, hoping that he didn't just ruin his chance at remaining Zero's acquaintance, and _possibly _becoming _more _to him.

Thankfully, the silverette didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't care about it. Instead, he shrugged, rubbing his nose, "Whatever floats your boat."

"It does." Shiki replied, even though he knew that the statement didn't need replying to.

He walked down the quiet streets of the town with Zero, which wasn't so empty that you could call it a ghost town, but it wasn't so busy that people were bumping shoulders either. They chatted as they walked, doing a bit of window shopping and commenting on any object that interested them. Occasionally, Zero would show more interest in objects than he usually did, so the rustic-haired teenager made sure to note which ones. He also made sure to note their prices, that way he could save up enough money to buy Zero a present without using any of his father's. Shiki wanted it to be special.

"I've been here several times- they sell really good, affordable clocks." Zero's voice pulled the brunette out of his plans for the teen's birthday present. Shiki looked over the shop, peering into the window. It was apparent that they didn't only sell clocks, but a variety of things, such as silverware and a couple pieces of small furniture. There weren't many customers inside, possibly due to the fact that it was near closing time for this shop.

"Looks nice," the young vampire commented as he neared the door of the store, opening it for Zero. He could feel the nice, comfortable, toasty air from the store, and even though he wasn't actually inside, the scent of potpourri and incense was evident. It tickled his nose, and once he stepped inside, closing the door behind him, he sneezed. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for Zero to choose a clock. In fact, it only took two or three minutes for him to choose, but it was so like Zero, and Shiki adored it.

"Why would I take a long time to choose a clock?" Zero asked when Shiki stated how fast it took him, swinging the white plastic bag that held his newly purchased clock, "They all serve the same purpose, and they're all good quality."

"You could say the same for clothes too though, Kiryu-senpai," he pointed out.

"It's not the same thing," Zero rebutted after a moment of thought. "Clothes are something you wear everyday and show to the world. It's one of the things that contribute to others' first impression of you. Clocks are for your own private use."

"Well...that's true." Shiki relented noticing something out of the corner of his eye. He tugged at Zero's sleeve, pointing at a candy shop, "Let's go there next."

**xox**

**Written by Cookie**

**A/N: No, I wasn't trying to be mean by cutting off their date for this chapter. Thank you Orcux and Wookie for providing a few ideas for this chapter. On that note, I would appreciate ideas on the next chapter and how this story should end. (Please don't say something like: end it with Kaname x Zero. I'd like an actual scene or idea to work with.)**


	20. Confrontation

**I'm back! It's finally summer break. I'm so relieved. I hope 2,257 words will be enough to keep the rage mobs at bay -laughs-. It looks like I'm doing one more chapter now though (or who knows, maybe it'll end up being even more.) **  
>Thank you for all your input on how I should take the story. It gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas for this chapter. <strong>**

* * *

><p><strong>Confrontation<strong>

Kaname sat back in his seat, his hand covering his mouth in shock as he looked to the side, trying to process Sayori's side of the story. He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to believe it.

According to Sayori, she was walking in a hallway on the second floor of a building that overlooked the area where the incident occurred. A teacher had requested her to carry a couple of supplies to one of the classrooms. However, as she walked she noticed two students out of the corner of her eye that made her turn her head to the window. It was Zero and Yuki standing in the middle of the garden, and they seemed like they were conversing with each other.

Of course, it was normal to see them together, and she would have been on her way if not for what happened next. She dropped the supplies she held in her hand, looking out of the window in horror as Yuki covered Zero's mouth with a bloody hand. She could do nothing as she watched Zero pounce her friend, and when Zero was thrown off of her by an angry vampire, she could still do nothing but run through the halls in search of the school nurse. Yuki may have asked to get bitten, but she was still Sayori's best friend, and the hazel-eyed teen couldn't just watch her bleed to death.

"Impossible..." Kaname finally said and then he looked up with a suspicious gaze, traces of shock still lingering. "Yuki would never...You're _lying_." he accused.

In his eyes, Yuki was an innocent girl who wanted nothing more than everyone's happiness; especially Zero's, much to his irritation. She knew that he, Kaname, would kill anyone that did her any harm, so there was no way Yuki would force Zero into attacking her.

Sayori exhaled in frustration, her face contorting in desperation, "I'm not!" she put her hands on Kaname's desk and looked into his dark eyes with honest hazel ones, "I'm Yuki's best friend. I love her to bits. I would never march all the way into this room just to tell a lie about what she did."

A moment of silence fell between them as Kaname considered this fact. He could find no reason why Sayori would betray Yuki. Indeed, Sayori was still by Yuki's side always; if she wanted to get _Zero_ to notice her then she would have taken her chance at the 'garden incident'. As much as Kaname wanted to deny the truth, like Sayori said, she would have no reason to tell a lie. The pureblood stood and turned his back to the girl, anguish painting his face as he was forced to accept the fact that Yuki would do such a thing.

As the silence dragged on, the girl became nervous that he wasn't listening, "If you want more proof...Yuki's hand has scars from the rose thorns."

"Leave," he demanded softly, but Sayori wasn't having anymore of this.

"I'm not going to leave until I know that the situation between you, Zero, and Yuki-"

"I said leave me!" Kaname ordered angrily, his hands tightening behind his back. Sayori shrunk back when the pureblood shouted, and was almost ready to assume that she had failed in her little mission when Kaname continued speaking."I will...deal with the situation appropriately."

The girl smiled brightly at her success. Although Kaname's voice was a bit tense and it looked like he was refraining from destroying something, she believed that the man would never go back on his word. "Thank you Kuran-senpai!" She bowed and quickly exited the room, not needing any more assurance that this misunderstanding would be fixed.

* * *

><p>Guilt plagued Yuki whether she was sleeping or awake. At night, she would have dreams of Zero and Kaname rejecting her, calling out all her wrongdoings, and leaving her. She would dream of Zero on the floor bleeding, and it was her fault. Her guilt led her to being unsocial and obviously less energetic. The brunette girl couldn't be in the same room as Zero for very long in fear that she would break down. Yuki resigned from her prefect duties because she couldn't look at Kaname in the eyes. Nowadays, when he looked at her, she felt like he was looking into the depths of her soul, and sometimes she thought he knew the truth. She had become paranoid.<p>

The only person she'd been able to talk with was Sayori, who had supported her, comforted her, and stayed by her side when she needed it. She was thankful for her best friend, but even her company couldn't soothe the guilt that had been building up.

Yuki's sobs resonated through her dark bedroom. In the middle of her bed she was curled up, scratching mercilessly at her injured but healing hand. Other than Zero and Kaname, the only other evidence of her betrayal towards them were the scars that riddled her palm. She could run and avoid the brunette and silverette, but it would be a long time, if ever, that the scars would disappear.

Slowly, the girl's sobs softened into hiccups and her scratches became gentle strokes against her hand. Yuki's eyelids became heavy and soon after that, her breathing began to even out. The rather depressed and guilty teen wasn't given a chance to see a dream before a loud knock jolted her out of her sleep. Her heart jumped and pounded loudly in her chest from surprise, and was reminded once more that someone was at her door when several more knocks followed. Yuki shakily got to her feet and dragged herself to the door, opening it shakily.

"Y-yes?" she stuttered, pausing when she saw who it was. Dread bloomed in her chest and spread throughout her body. "Kuran-senpai..."

Kaname didn't flinch at all when Yuki hadn't addressed him informally. For now at least, he felt that Yuki didn't deserve to call him by his first name. He looked down at her ragged form, noting that she was trembling. It wasn't because she was cold; it was because she was afraid. Abruptly, he reached out with both hands, grabbing hers and turning them over so he could get a good look at her palms.

Yuki gasped in alarm and pulled her hands back quickly as if she was being burned, "No!"

"...No?" The pureblood's voice was eerily soft as he asked this, watching with narrowed eyes as the girl quickly looked down and hid her hands behind her back. Kaname inwardly scoffed; it was futile; he'd already seen the injuries on her hand. She was guilty.

"I..." Yuki covered her face with her hands and began to cry as her guilt began to overwhelm her. "I'm sorry! I was _scared_." she confessed, stuttering through her sobs as she continued. "I was scared that Zero would take you away! I _love_ you...I just wanted...I didn't want..."

Kaname believed her. He believed that all she wanted was his undivided attention, and he believed that jealousy was enough to make her do something as crazy as forcing Zero's vampire to reveal itself. Still, she should have known that the pureblood would react so violently.

"Miss Cross," he addressed her formally with clipped tones, interrupting her slurred rambles. Kaname waited until she looked up at him with teary eyes before he continued speaking; "After everything that's happened I cannot return your feelings."

Yuki's eyes widened in despair with each word that came out of the lips of the one she admired ever since she was a child. The sound of Kaname calling her by her last name felt so _alien_. Her mouth opened and closed as Kaname began to close her door, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I expect you to confront Kiryu about this and apologize by tomorrow." the pureblood prince ordered. "If he never wants you near him again so be it."

He shut the door before Yuki was able to say anything. Of course, not that she would have; the shock had rendered her completely silent.

* * *

><p>"You know," Zero sent Shiki a side glance as they walked side by side back to the school. They had just finished their little outing together, and after they finished their ice cream cones, decided that it was time to head back. "I'm not a girl."<p>

Shiki blinked slowly and looked at Zero in confusion, "Yes...I know this Kiryu-senpai." _You're much prettier than a girl_, the young vampire thought to himself as he subtly admired every nook and cranny of Zero's body. From his head to the very tips of his toes; to the depths of his soul, Zero was beautiful, and Shiki would never understand why his cousin would cause him so much pain. He deserved more than that.

The silverette held out his hand to the numerous bags Shiki was carrying, not seeming to notice the younger admiring him, "Then you won't complain when I ask that you let me carry my own bags."

"I can't let you do that." The brunette held the bags away from Zero and clutched them tightly. Throughout their little date Shiki insisted on carrying Zero's bags for him, and it looked like he wasn't going to stop now.

"And why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette's stubbornness. He was beginning to think that Shiki wanted to _keep_ the bags and never give them back to him.

The younger male sighed and remained silent for a long while. Zero thought that Shiki would never answer and was about to quickly steal the bags away from the younger teen when he finally opened his mouth the speak, "I _want_ to carry these bags for you."

Zero blinked at the determined blue eyes that held another deep, passionate emotion that the Kiryu recognized, but couldn't put a finger on. The silverette simply nodded, almost unable to tear his eyes away from Shiki's. His eyes were so deep and so exposing that he felt like he was invading Shiki's innermost emotions by looking into them for too long. They walked the rest of the way in almost complete silence. Occasionally, they made small talk about Shiki's father and uncle; school; the weird window displays in some of the shops they passed, among many other miscellaneous things. At one point of the walk, Zero sneezed and Shiki offered his jacket to the cold male, but the silverette refused. In the end, Shiki won with his surprising stubborn side and they walked onto campus with Zero wearing the brunette's jacket.

Their steps slowed to a halt as they neared the Day Class dorms. Zero thanked Shiki for spending time with him and started sliding the jacket off of his shoulders, "Will you give me my bags now?" Zero asked with a hint of a teasing tone.

"Ah, yes..." reluctantly Shiki slowly held out the bags but then he withdrew them to his side once more.

"What's wrong now?" Zero frowned, his eyes widening when the younger leaned in. His body didn't react fast enough to his brain's commands to move, and soon he could feel Shiki's soft lips against his own. He closed his eyes as Shiki continued to shyly shower his lips with gentle, affectionate kisses, but it wasn't the same. It didn't trigger anything like Kaname's powerful, passionate kisses. His heart didn't pound loudly in his chest from Shiki's closeness or his scent. Zero didn't feel the click of a lover. Did Kaname feel this way about him?

Gently, Zero put his hands on Shiki's shoulders and pulled away. His lilac-eyes reflected a sadness that blue-eyes didn't wish to see. "I..."

"You don't have to answer right away." Shiki anxiously interrupted, not wanting to hear rejection. "Please think about it a little longer."

But Zero shook his head firmly, "I know how you feel _Senri_. I really do." he told his underclassman honestly, hoping that the use of his first name would tell the younger how serious he was about what he thought. "I'm really sorry I can't return your feelings, but can we still be friends?"

His heart broke at the expression Shiki had on his face, and for a brief moment, he wanted to take it all back and say that he'd be glad to date him. However, if he did that, it would be nearly identical to the relationship he had with Kaname: together, but also one-sided. Zero could never do that to Shiki.

Yet Shiki continued to plead, "Please reconsider-"

"No, Senri." Zero remained firm, determined to not fall despite the fact that Shiki looked like he was about to cry. "I don't want you to suffer in the long run just because our feelings are one-sided."

The silverette was relieved when the brunette finally nodded, albeit reluctantly. Zero stared a bit regretfully as Shiki stood before him, tense, and probably ready to run away. He exhaled lightly and wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him as he rubbed the teen's back in an act of comfort. "I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely, "You can hate me and I'll understand."

Shiki shook his head into Zero's shoulder, dropping the bags and returned his upperclassman's hug, "I could never hate you." he whispered fondly into the fabric of Zero's shirt.

Zero couldn't help the small smile that wriggled its way onto his lips when Shiki hugged him back and whispered his words. It soon dropped however, when he noticed another brunette approaching them with suspicious narrowed eyes.

"Kaname..."

* * *

><p><strong>xox<strong>

**Written by Cookie**


	21. One Day

Zero was many things. He was a hunter, a half-made vampire, a brother, a student, a prefect, a son and a friend. Perhaps even was once a lover. He was many things, and he believed in several unexplainable phenomena. His destiny was an equivalent of bitter and fascinating, border from pain and an ounce of happiness. He didn't dwell in the what-ifs and could-have-beens. (Though his heart clench at the possibilities of the paths he could never walk upon anymore).

Zero was many things but regretting on things that had come to pass wasn't one of them. Or so he'd like to believe.

He held Lily's ear between his long fingers, cradling the all familiar animal in his embrace. When the white horse gave a half-hearted neigh, Zero's hold strengthened by a little. His fingers ghosted along the silky fur as he rested his cheek on the warmth of Lily's neck. What a silly little thing, to wonder how a life that was about to end still could conjure a known feeling into his bleeding heart.

It was a cold evening. It wasn't raining but it'd be later and Zero scoffed at the thoughts of how this often happened in one of those cliché movies when it came to the dying part.

Lily neighed again. Her heart went _thump...thump _instead of _thump thump thump_.

Zero smiled.

They were alone in the stable.

"I'd want to say something sad but I'm out of sentiment to quote anything now. You'll just have to make do with my presence because right now-" Zero thought it was rather odd he was trying to connect heart to heart with an animal but then again, this was Lily. "-I'm trying to reassure you that you won't die alone."

If Lily could talk, Zero knew it'd tell him to _'shut it you talk too much'_ and _'just continue to pet me like a good friend you are supposed to be_'. Zero chuckled at the notion.

(The vet said _'It's incurable. The only thing we can do now is wait'_)

The sky was slowly pacing and in minutes (as Zero stared distantly into the open field where Lily used to run and gallop freely) there was one heartbeat thrummed in the stable.

Later tonight, instead of white and red, Zero had his suspicion that he'd dream of white and snow. Then he'd wake up from his dream and wonder about Lily. It was a too familiar feeling it wouldn't scratch and gnaw at his heart like a parasite. Not anymore.

Pain was what Zero was accustomed to now. Especially loss.

Zero closed his eyes and exhaled. He wanted a small nap, and though Lily was gone, her form pliant, even in death, there was a left-over of her heat left in her.

So Zero took a nap by Lily's side. It wouldn't kill him to pretend she was still there, annoyed at him.

Zero dreamed of his brother: weak smile and clinging to his arm like a koala. It didn't matter though because Zero loved his brother and he chose a silver pureblood over him. Zero dreamed of his parents: they were proud of him and they showed it through their actions and words. It didn't matter though because Zero loved them and they viewed him as a new weapon that would bring Kiryu to the top of the food chain.

He dreamed of his past, except for Yuki but he dreamed of her too. She smiled and assured him he wasn't alone and it'd be okay to be broken and hurt because he was still a human. She hurt him, bad, but there was part of him that still loved her. He would always love her and he thought it was as close as she could get it for his forgiveness.

He dreamed and dreamed and Zero murmured a gasp of _'I was so lonely'_.

When he woke up, it was due to a constant soft stir on his shoulder. His eyes trembled slightly. He finally looked up to the shadow stood before him. Zero saw Shiki with his deflated, small smile.

"Kiryu-senpai," The half-pureblood looked as his smile slowly losing its shine. "We should...do something for her."

Zero nodded.

If he dreamed of Kaname and himself standing closer with a little distance between them while they held each other's eyes, a string of red ribbon tied around their wrist (not their pinkie finger) as Kaname muttered _'I want to keep you safe'_ - well, he wouldn't dwell on it too.

_He remembered the scene for weeks ago all too well._

_Kaname saw Shiki with his arms around him-_

_Their eyes met briefly-_

_Zero turned away and looked into the cold distance-_

_Shiki stirred but his strength never faltered around him-_

_Kaname's steps dipped far away, and away, and away until the only thing left behind was the rustling of the green leaves. _

_It was quiet after that._

"Kiryu-senpai?"

Zero smiled. "Yeah, okay. Let's go."

**X**

_**First week, first month**_

_'God isn't nice, you say?'_

Zero crunched the cookie between his lower and upper teeth in a sluggish manner. His left leg crossed atop the right one, the book in his hand parched between his fingers as he used his thumb to open the next page.

_'Then let us put this way: God is menace because He created Hell? Then when the time comes and all souls are to be put between two paths, should He put the evilest, cruellest, souls in the Heaven? A place where the kindest spirits will rest for eternity-'_

Zero slicked open the next page- _'And so amidst the tryst and aster-'_

Next page- _'How can we expect to love ourselves when we can't even learn to love other-',_ he jumped two pages, and then three, and four and in midst of uncertainty and the bizarre chocking feeling that gnawing at his chest for days; Zero jumped (more like slammed) to the very last page where 'And life is an endless circle of agony' printed on the last line.

"Damn right." The hunter muttered.

When he put the book down on his laps, for a brief second he let his mind wander across the lane and light of sky in his mind. He was a mess, a silly little boy with a tragic cliché past. A silly little boy who couldn't change his life. A silly little boy who was dramatically in love with a wrong person.

(But-)

No one could bring peace with beautiful words and intensified ideals alone. This was how he could describe his life.

Somewhere -Zero secretly hoped - someone with brunette hair and bleeding red eyes better have felt the same way he did.

He wanted Kaname to hurt.

He wanted Kaname to apologize.

Zero fell asleep mumbling the name under his breath. His dream was blank and dark.

**X**

Zero woke up to find a small note wedged under his door.

_'Sorry'_ the content of the letter said.

**X**

**Second week, first month**

"Kiryu-senpai, why does the apron's caption say 'Kiss the Cook?" Shiki raised a brow at the ridiculousness of humans and their indescribable slogans. Honestly, if it were up to him, the half-pureblood would gladly comply and kiss the cook but said cook would-... From where Shiki was sitting, he could say he thoroughly enjoyed the view of Zero preparing dinner for himself.

Zero blinked, one hand holding the pan while the other rested on his hip.

"It isn't mine. It's the headmaster's."

This time, it was Shiki's turn to blink. "That...doesn't surprise me."

Zero's melodious chuckle made something near Shiki's heart grunt in bliss and a little pinch of melancholy.

"Kiryu-senpai, next time I-"

Zero's smile didn't reach his eyes, but when he directed a quirk of his lips at Shiki, the half-pureblood knew this was the limit. This was the only comfort he could bask himself in. It wasn't enough but it was adequate in this lifetime.

The prefect turned off the heater; he sauntered towards the younger boy and gave a quick kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, Shiki. For everything."

_For being here, for your kindness. I was so alone before._

The boy merely nodded. Behind his far-fetched memory, Shiki remembered his mother's saying (It's so fun to see people in love. Especially when it's an unrequited love).

"In the next lifetime, let's get to know each other again, Kiryu-senpai."

"Yeah," Zero agreed, "Okay."

**X**

When Zero entered his room, he saw a small note on his desk.

_'Sorry'_ the letter said.

**X**

Kaname smiled. His eyes closed but his long nails brushed against the silver strands, and even though the shadow was thick and the room was free from light; he knew the familiar violet eyes would be on his face, searching for his hidden emotions.

This was wrong. A pureblood didn't have good dreams. A pureblood did not _dream_.

And yet- "Kaname, I'm cold."

Kaname's smile widened. His hands opted out into the shadow and when his lids fluttered open, his nails reached the empty vast of quilts on the bed.

Kaname went back to sleep.

**X**

**Third week, first month,**

_"It's said that a swan sings a melodious tune to attract its other half and even though it's beautiful, none comes to answer the solitary hum."_

Zero lifted his head to acknowledge the girl. Yuki's smile was weak but desperate. He didn't forgive her, not yet, but one day. Even so, that 'one day' could be any day. It could be near and it could be far, yet, one day he'd forgive her.

She just had to wait a little longer until the cracked wound in his heart dissipated.

"It must suck to be the swan."

Yuki raised a brow. "Not really. Because in the end _'The swan cries as its tears falls into the lake. The other half hears the drop of crystalline liquid and answers the swan's call'_."

Zero gave Yuki a baffled look, "That's one weird book you're reading."

Yuki shrugged, "Not as weird as our lives."

True.

**X**

Zero hopped on his bed, snatching the small note on his pillow.

_'Sorry'_ scribbled on the letter.

**X**

Zero entered the kitchen when he saw a small note on the table.

_'Sorry'_ written in soft momentum on the letter.

**X**

Zero felt his pocket when his fingers rested on a small note. He pulled out and read it.

_'Sorry'_

**X **

Zero found the small note and read it.

_'Sorry'_

**X**

Zero creaked open the half-door to the stable when he saw the small note on the hay.

_'Sorry'_ pasted on it.

**X**

**Fourth week, first month,**

Kaname was there. In the living room. With Yuki.

The boy made a step to leave -because Kaname shouldn't be here. Or it was him who shouldn't be here because today was Tuesday and on Tuesday, he didn't come to Yuki's place to cook her favourite pasta - but a soft laugh from the pureblood ceased his haste.

_I missed that laugh._

"I don't know how to tell him," Kaname's voice, gentle and sacred. As if he was about to speak the most sacrosanct subject. Maybe it was. Zero leaned against the walls. He heard a rustle.

"Kaname-senpai-" A doubt in Yuki's tone. Scared and heartbroken but also encouraging.

"I can have everything in this world. I already have everything in this world but even in such way, all I want are the little things he can offer to me. I-"

Zero headed towards the door. He wondered if Kaname stopped because he felt his presence lurking at the other side of the room. Perhaps. Zero didn't care.

"I do not know how to apologize. It's not in my nature. But I want him."

Zero closed the door behind him slowly.

He heard the last part loud and clear.

**X**

Maybe.

One day.

He wanted to talk to Kaname again.

Maybe.

One day.

He wanted things to return to the way they used to.

Maybe.

One day.

Who knew?

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it written.

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it said.

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it said.

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it said.

**X **

He didn't know why he never questioned from whom the notes came from. He had his suspicion. He also knew the person sending it would rather apologize in front of him.

The scattered notes were asking him _'Can I see you?_'

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it said.

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Sorry'_ it said.

**X**

Zero found the note and read it.

_'Forgive me'_ it said.

**X**

**Third week, fourth month,**

"Will you go see him, Zero?"

"I will. One day, Yuki."

**X**

**Second week, ninth month,**

"Kaname."

The pureblood turned around, smiling at the approaching figure. This time, he'd apologize properly.

"Zero."

* * *

><p><strong>Written by Wookie (Edited by Cookie)<strong>

A/N: Unfortunately, I (Cookie) have been experience a really bad writer's block that has lasted almost a year. I believe this is good enough to be an ending honestly (DIDN'T WOOKIE DO AN AWESOME JOB). I edited it really quickly, so if you see any grammar mistakes...I'm sorry. I won't fix it. LOL /runs away/

Anyhow, I'm not sure when I'll post something new or if it'll even be VK, but I'm glad for whoever stuck around to read this!

Thanks for the support.


End file.
